Many people may be asking you today: What will you be doing this Valentine’s Day? It is the typical question of a day like today, but have you thought to ask the youngest of the students on campus the same question?

Over in Little Gophs child care center there was quite the celebration. The plans were to exchange Valentines with each other and enjoy some treats brought in by parents.

Things went just as planned. Some student gave out store-bought Valentines whereas others had made their own. The ones that the children made themselves were recieved with the most impact. Each of those little cards, though they were not perfectly made and typically did not have any writing on them, contained just as much love as if they were to have been flawless and filled with beautiful words. The kids were thrilled to receive such meaningful displays of friendship and love from their classmates.

The point is, why is it not like that here?

Over here things are a lot more complicated, as it usually is. Valentine’s Day can possibly be the best, or worst thing about February, depending on how you look at it and what your relationship status is.

Couples are all mushy and give each other gifts, as is typical of the holiday. Those who are single mope, rant, let it be, or do something with other singles. Friends exchange cards and candy, and love fills the air.

Or so we think.

Oftentimes, this day for romance is sometimes disliked by those who do not have a special someone to spend it with. It could be a cause for self pity or sadness if they are unhappy with their current relationship status. It takes a lot of self confidence to not experience those feelings and to be content with your position if you are one of the singles.

Typically, being single on Valentine’s Day has always come with negative connotations because it is a holiday focused on love and romance. Thus, it makes sense that those who do not have a boyfriend or girlfriend would feel left out on the festivities. It is a feat to be able to hold your head high despite being alone on a day meant to be spent with a loved one, since often we associate our likeability with our worth as individuals.

So, this day that is supposed to celebrate love has become a day to brood over the absence of a significant other. Something that was meant to be so simple and happy has turned into just the opposite.

While we are over here making things complicated and sulking around, the children that are just a stone’s throw away from us are doing the exact opposite.

The children are ecstatic to be able to give their friends a token of their friendship. Why is it not as simple here?

Valentine’s Day has been blown out of proportion and twisted by making it just about romance, which makes it either enjoyable or unenjoyable. It should be simple, but it is not. Valentine’s Day is a way to let people know that you love them or appreciate them. It should be a day where we can let our friends and family know how much they mean to us, rather than a day where we gripe about who we wish we had. Like the kids over in the preschool, we need to be satisfied with the act of showing people that we care and knowing that others care about us as well. That is, after all, what the day was originally intended for.

Caring for others is the ultimate act that we can do to help someone. Just the act of giving someone a card or a piece of candy can do wonders for someone’s self esteem and that can carry over to inspire them to do something nice for another person, causing the kindness to spread. Kindness is infectious, so start it or pass it on. Embrace the true meaning of Valentine’s Day this year, there is still a little time left.