Single on Valentine's Day: On the Sidelines at the Rose Parade.
By Lisa Daily
No other holiday drives home the fact that you're single
so much as the annual rose parade on Valentine's Day. I'm
not talking about the one in California. I'm talking about
the one in your office. It usually starts before you've even
had that first cup of coffee to steel your nerves, and continues
throughout the day. A virtual pageant of florist delivery
drivers, presenting stunning bouquet after stunning bouquet
at your company's reception desk.
There's just no escaping it. As the morning wears on, you
get that sinking feeling in your stomach....no flowers for
you today.
That's okay, right? You can be deliriously single and having
the time of your life on February thirteenth, but by V-day,
you're hoping for a Mayday Mystery Man to resuscitate the
day with a massive bouquet of twenty-four long-stems. Every
time you hear the elevator bell, it's like a prickly shot
of hope in the arm -- followed quickly by a fast-acting dose
of reality. You smile weakly as coworker after coworker teeters
down the hall with oversized vases of fragrant blooms.
The other women in the office will be kind and not mention
the vacant space on your desk, although they're secretly relieved
not to be the girl the day forgot. On every other day of your
life (with the possible exception of family weddings) your
love life is private. On Valentine's Day, it can feel like
you're cruising around the office wearing a giant sandwich
board that reads: SINGLE! WITH NO SERIOUS PROSPECTS! Sure,
you'll put on a cheerful face, but you'll be using every ounce
of willpower to make the day run speedier than usual just
to escape the omnipresent flora.
By the time you get home, you start to think. Maybe being
single on Valentine's Day isn't so bad. After all, you didn't
have to drive home from work with a giant, wet, prickly bouquet
in your front seat, blocking your view, and dousing your car
interior with smelly stem water every time you made a left
turn. There are no unattainable expectations for a great night
of romance to fall flat. No thigh high stockings to yank up
in the ladies room because the elastic isn't doing its job,
no horrifyingly tiny (and surely itchy) gifts of tramp-red
lingerie. Just you, a trip to the video store and maybe extra
pepperoni on your Valentine's Day feast. A nice hot bath,
a cozy pair of flannel jammies and a cuddle on the couch with
your dog. If you think about it, single life is pretty rosy
after all.
© 2006 by Lisa Daily. All rights reserved.
Dating Expert Lisa Daily is an internationally known dating
coach and the author of Stop Getting Dumped!
All you need to know to make men fall madly in love with you
and marry "The One" in 3 years or less. As seen
in Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post and Glamour Magazine
Get our FREE Dating Tips newsletter with great dating advice
on how to snag the man of your dreams att http://www.stopgettingdumped.com
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