I shouldn't even be awake right now, much less coherent, but I may as well speak my piece. (Its not gonna be a happy story...)
I've had a very...bad history with Valentine's Day. Never once did the schools do the "everyone gets Valentines" thing. The only gifts I ever got were from my parents, and while I don't resent them or dismiss them as unimportant, it was the one time of year I got to see the happy couples around school dote on their paramours with impunity. As many of you have probably already guessed, I wasn't a kid with a lot of friends. I was (and, to an extent, still am) a very severe introvert to the point of generally eschewing social interaction because trying to talk to someone sometimes led to panic attacks... So, this was the most depressing day of the year for me. I hated when the year would roll over, because I knew that day was near, and I knew I wouldn't have a "special someone" to share it with. Again. I longed for that companionship, and that ache turned into severe pain on that day. It was so bad I...got far closer to being genuinely suicidal than I have at any other time in my life. I tried desperately to find any way to get out of school during the week-long Valentine's Day celebrations they had...I honestly wished I could come down with some horrible case of the flu or something, just so I could be free from it.
But, these days...it doesn't bother me as much. Yes, its commercialized, like many other holidays...but its not nearly as bad as it used to be. Its something I'd actually enjoy celebrating with that special girl in my life. The bad things...they're in the past. I wish I could just start over...but, not being able to do that, I can at least try and work toward being a happier person; one that...actually kinda likes Valentine's Day, if for no other reason than finally having someone to share it with.