PerthNorg

Valentine's Day by a single bloke

If you are a single bloke like I am, there is a red letter day coming up next month in the form of Valentine's Day. The shops are starting to sell the cards and the monkeys and the bears and the ........... the list goes on!

There are two ways to approach Valentine's Day if you are a single bloke in my opinion. Firstly, you could use it as an ice breaker to finally ask that girl out that you've had your eye on for ages but haven't worked out the courage to do so. I did that a lot in school where they'd organise a primitive card or flower delivering service within the school. I haven't bothered with that approach for a while. Then again, most potential partners for me are already partners with someone else.

The other way to approach VD for a single bloke is to file it under "this is not happening" and totally try to avoid the day entirely with all the happy couples seemingly rubbing the fact in your face that they are getting some and you aren't. I remember last year I was on a day off and I totally avoided the shops to avoid happy couples. In fact, I went to a workshop because I needed some work done on my car and even then, I could not avoid a happy couple who should have got a room at the Hilton!

If you are a recently un-single bloke who has found someone in December, January or early February, you may find that Valentine's Day brings an extra pressure. Because of the over-commercial day that it has become, you may find yourself doing things that you normally wouldn't do so early in a relationship if you met the lady in (for example) August.

Having said that, I'm sure Valentine's Day is a great day if you are in a committed relationship. I've only been in a relationship once on the day and yes, it was a good day. And yes, I enjoyed it. And yes, I got into the spirit. And yes, the relationship was in the early stages that I mentioned before. I'm sure you've had more experience than me on Valentine's Day.

Actually, I do celebrate the day. It is my anniversary of starting work with my current employer. I was supposed to be there on a temporary basis for 6 months. This Valentine's Day marks 14 years in various roles. Ironically, I often feel married to the job and not to the girl. But that's another story altogether.