Coupling

One of my favorite movies of all time is When Harry Met Sally, in addition to being a fabulous story it's full of great quotes! For example:

"You guys were a couple. You had someone to go places with. You had a date on national holidays!" ~Marie (Carrie Fisher)

Another great thing about that movie is that it is so applicable to everyday life. Holidays are a tricky time to be single (as opposed to the rest of the year when being alone is lovely and pleasant). First there are the parties; have you ever shown up at a party only discover that you're one of the only single people there? Well if you haven't, trust me when I say that it's exactly as awesome as it sounds. Then there are things like mistletoe and New Year's Eve (midnight can be a bit awkward when everyone but you is kissing). And the passing of Christmas and the New Year can only mean one thing: Valentine's Day.

Today I worked in the floral department and had to sit in on a conference call. Although I was trying not to pay attention I did happen to catch the reminder that we will soon begin receiving Valentine's Day products. Ugh.

I don't have anything against Valentine's Day; I can't stand those people who talk about it being nothing more than a creation of the greeting card industry or call it something like "Singles Awareness Day." I think it's a perfectly fine holiday, if you have someone. And that's a big if. Normally I don't let anything about Valentine's Day bother me, but last year I helped out in the floral department since it was such a busy time. If you think being alone on Valentine's Day is rough, try being alone on Valentine's Day while making dozens of floral arrangements for people who are in love. Granted, there are a lot of things I haven't experienced yet but it's going to be hard to top that.

The realization that I will most likely be spending another Valentine's Day exactly the same way was less than thrilling. Granted, I could get a new [good] job or start dating someone before then. Hell, I could do both. But the odds of me doing neither are pretty good.