It’s that time of year again when the female species expectations shoot through the roof and the males cower to make sure all is as expected. How dreadful men would rather swim among the great white sharks than face today head on. For some, today is a let down, a disappointment. February 14th, the day the price of a dozen roses is more than my monthly interest payment on my mortgage. Where are the lost days of a simple card filled with love and good wishes? Valentine’s Day has turned into a shoe box of roses, balloons, chocolates, jewelry, and pre-fixed dinner menus. All in vain of St. Valentine, yet who is this mysterious masked villain and why do we celebrate this holiday?
Legend #1: Valentine sent the first “valentine” greeting. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine had the hots for a hotsy totsy—who was the jailor’s daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine.”
Legend #2: This legend contends that Valentine, a priest who served during the third century in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor decided that single men made bad ass soldiers than those with wives and families, hence outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing that this is whacked, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers on the down low. When Valentine’s got the four one one on Valentine’s actions, The Big EC Deuce ordered a cap in his ass.
Like Christmas and Thanksgiving, today is a very lonely day for many. I have been victimized by this vicious holiday for many years until I realized that it wasn’t the holiday, but me. It is good to feel loved and wanted, not by a lover, or a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife, but by friends and family. If you want to make today special, pick up the phone and call your parents and wish them a Happy Valentines day. Perhaps, contact a dear friend who could use a warm smile today. These are just a few suggestions that are more heroic than a box of chocolates. I phoned my parents in Hawaii and wished them a Happy Valentines day. That, my friends, is what St. Valentine would have done.
PREVIOUS PAGE
