If Pat Benatar is right and “Love is a battlefield,” then Valentine’s Day is the secret weapon that can accomplish conquests or defeat us emotionally.

They say love is the only thing worth fighting for, so my last column will consist of a small compilation of my thoughts on love.

February brings one of the most important holidays of the year along with bleak weather and the best deals on chocolates and flowers I have ever seen.

In kindergarten, Valentine’s Day meant making cards for my best friends and my family.

I spent hours carefully cutting out pictures, coloring with every crayon in the box and attaching Hershey kisses to the cards.

My efforts were never unrequited as I was equally rewarded with cards and flowers.

Grade school didn’t bring added pressure to this holiday. I attended an all-girls Catholic school so I did not have to worry about making cards for any boys (or getting cards from any).

Valentine’s Day got a little more complicated in high school.

The school did that activity where roses are delivered to your crush from their “secret admirers” in the middle of class.

I remember the feeling of anticipation, not knowing whether I would get more roses than my best friend or any at all.

I am happy to report that I got half a dozen my senior year although I never sent any. I found myself single on Valentine’s Day each year which meant I didn’t have to worry about getting a gift and that my date for the day would be Hugh Grant in “Love Actually.”

The past several years have brought purple daisies, romantic dinners and even small presents from my former boyfriend’s family.

This year, I find myself single and surrounded by two different groups of people.

There is the group which carefully draws hearts on the side of notebooks and who already tore down Hallmark’s inventory; and the apathetic group, which offers snide remarks and disdain for the holiday.

To the first group, what makes Valentine’s so special? Are relationships not special enough every single day spent together?

To the second group, why is Valentine’s Day addressed with scorn? Is it because it serves as a significant reminder that we are single or alone?

Reflecting upon these, I figured out Valentine’s is a great opportunity to spend with the most important person in my life: me.

It’s also a great excuse to act corny and tell everyone I love them, and blame it on getting carried away in the holiday’s spirit.

Whether it’s a day to shut yourself in your room listening to Air Supply or out on a special date with a Hugh Grant look-alike, Valentine’s Day warrants some sort of special celebration.

I know hot chocolate and brownies make an unbeatable combination and Hugh has never stood me up.

 

Florence Cazenave is a senior marketing major from Honduras and serves as a news editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to fmc007@latech.edu.