What Is A Valentine

Heart-shaped, lace doilies stuck to red construction paper with glue dripping from edges. Tootsie pops poked down the middle of a Care Bears valentine. On the desk just a few seats over, handfuls of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles valentines telling you to "Cowabunga into a radical Valentine's Day!" Pencils with heart-shaped erasers placed delicately on the corner of each student's desk by a favorite second-grade teacher. Valentine's Day of years past seemed so simple, but with the years, our memories change just as we do.

Valentine's Day was not just another holiday in grade school. All holidays meant a party, but on Valentine's Day the room moms always brought extra candy and streamers galore. As kids, we knew this day was our chance to waste an entire day of learning just to spend hours dropping unmarked valentines in each classmate's brown paper bag mailbox. Okay, so we actually did some work, like our vocab in the morning while the moms set up. Still, it was just like a snow day!

Come high school, even eighth grade, the parties became extinct. The importance of our education was stressed now more than ever. Grades started "counting" towards college, driver's ed became essential, and you no longer told Tommy Too Cute that you liked him through a valentine; instead, you asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Things had changed. Suddenly it was just a Hallmark holiday to you and your single friends.

Enter college. At this point, if you were dating someone in high school who was your valentine, a number of scenarios were possible, including, but not limited to:

1. The guy/girl turned out to be a complete jerk and is now dating your ex-best-friend who still has your favorite shirt in his/her closet.

2. He/she chose a scholarship out of state over you (as if!).

3. You were just too strong to be held back by the chains of commitment and opted to wring out his/her heart like a soaked kitchen towel.

Choose your scenario then consider why you are single on this Valentine's Day in college.