Take the I Hate Valentine's Day poll

Sorry, but this is truly my least favorite holiday. I loved it when I was a kid and it was all about giving everyone in my classroom one of those sweet paper valentines that came in boxes of 30 or so, with a special one for the teacher. And Conversation Hearts candies.

But when I reached dating age, it was all about whether I had a boyfriend or not. And later, whether I had a husband or not. And what he did to mark the occasion. And whether it was good enough. And what I was supposed to do. And somehow a holiday that was supposed to be all about love became all about pressure and vanity and feeling bad about myself. Yuck.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a romantic, through and through. I just think that celebrating love should be something I do every day, and not something I have to prove--or have it be proved to me.

So where does Jane Austen come in? She is the perfect remedy for your Valentine's Day blues. Read one of her novels and celebrate love. When you're finished, you will close the book and feel good about yourself. And you will believe that if it's not there for you now, it will be. Very soon.

Here's a little treat from PERSUASION, my favorite Austen novel (and then do take the WHY I HATE VALENTINE'S DAY POLL below, just for fun):

You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it... Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you.

What do you hate most about Valentine's Day?

It's a holiday designed to make single people feel bad about themselves.Even if I'm in a relationship, I worry about not getting what I want.I feel pressured to mark the occasion but don't know what my partner wants.If I am too extravagant, my boyfriend/girlfriend may get the wrong message.If I'm too low-key, my boyfriend/girlfriend may get the wrong message.I eat way too much chocolate and spend the next day feeling guilty.

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Comments

[Megg]

Must you quote that dear Captain before asking us to answer what we hate most about the day for love (however commercialized it may be)? :P

[Laurie Viera Rigler]

Thank goodness we made it through the day, Anna. ;-)

[Anna]

Funny to "hear" you say what you did about the pressure, because I put that exact comment on my fb-page yesterday! :) Thankfully, I live in a country where Valentines Day isn't really a big deal. I do see my American friends sweat over the holiday, though... :)