My first contact with Valentine’s Day was at the school disco. On February 14, the room in which we usually wrote exams was cleared of tables and chairs, the middle partition was opened, and the curtains were closed. Disco balls sparkled from the ceiling, colorful lights in the corners, and people met at the candy bar in front of the entrance. There was a loudspeaker on the teacher’s desk, next to it an overhead projector and a box.
Although all school utensils were removed from the room, the exam atmosphere remained. The reason for this was said box. You could send notes about them. Anonymously, of course – because each of us was given a number at the beginning, which was now emblazoned on the heart as a heart-shaped post-it, well. Unmissable. So all three songs Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys were interrupted by an announcement, which number could pick up a note. Help!
Of course, these secret love messages should get everyone in the mood for Valentine’s Day, but for 12-year-olds, they’re mostly going to get their hearts pumping at the first party event. What if you were called yourself? Or even worse: if you were the only one who didn’t get a letter? So the fun ended with us giggling girls texting each other notes, sharing excitement and colorful bags.
Even then, one was dependent on the actions of others on Valentine’s Day. To this day, some find themselves waiting for a small, romantic miracle on February 14 – including even those who disparage Valentine’s Day as an invention of consumerism. This date is actually about something that we should not only remember on this day: that there are people we love.
And who do we tend to forget with all the love? Well, ourselves! In the age of self-love, no one but yourself should be at the top of the lover’s list. The relationship with ourselves is the only one that is not dependent on other people. So if we dedicate a day to love, please don’t forget about ourselves.
So this year we’re using Valentine’s Day to turn Armor’s arrow around and point it at us alone. We don’t have to wait for others to do something good for us, to give us something, but above all to fulfill a dream for ourselves: to just think about ourselves for a day without feeling selfish about it.
Whether you fulfill a material or ideal wish on Valentine’s Day is up to you. If you want to treat yourself to something nice, we have inspiration for you here – we just give these things to ourselves.