By Mary Conner
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In the beginning, God created man and woman. Instead of chocolates and heart-shaped pizzas, men were handing over ribs to prove their love. When a woman let her appetite get the best of her and cursed her home and all generations that would follow, man made brownies and watched “The Notebook” with her three times over to lessen her worry. Dedication to loved ones was impeccable in the earliest of times. Adam and Eve really upped the ante.
Through the old ages, the concept of romanticism planted a seed in the hearts of hopeless romantics and simpletons alike. Ancient Egyptians gave cats to their partners as an act of honor, in contrast to handing out $5 stuffed animals with, “You’re Purrrr-fect!” printed in Comic Sans on the front. The Roman Empire left behind masterpieces that depicted actions of love instead of posting selfies on social media with the caption, “Wifey for Lifey #wcw <33.” In the 16th century, Shakespeare gifted to the world glorious tales of passion that would be echoed in love letters and high school essays for ages to come. He not only introduced the idea that “love at first sight” could be true — even at the ripe old age of 12 — but also that love can further the deep-seated hatred between families, as well as kill six people in a matter of three days. Van Gogh literally cut off his ear to please a woman, in contrast to giving her a bouquet of Walmart roses.
Though early times boded well for romance, recent years have not been so favorable. An 88 cent box of sugar hearts seems to be the extent of the effort given forth by today’s couples. The tradition of Valentine’s Day has been forgotten in the midst of a world dedicated to professing their love via social media outlets. The fact of the matter is, standards have been lowered. Tweeting out a sequence of eight heart-eye emojis to your virtual “bae” of two weeks or spilling your heart out with a lengthy Facebook post shouldn’t make the cut when trying to win over someone’s heart — but then again, to the duck-faced person with “Single and Ready to Mingle” in their Instagram bio; it just might.
Taking Valentine’s Day celebrations to another level doesn’t have to mean buying expensive gifts or spending $200 on a meal at some fancy restaurant you’ll never quite be able to pronounce the name of. It could be cliche, a token trait to Valentine’s Day; buy a dozen roses, bake them homemade chocolate chip cookies, or forget about your dinner reservations and end up leaving your partner waiting at a table for an hour while you continue playing Forza on your Xbox. It could be creative; find an interesting craft to make from Pinterest, order custom-made matching bracelets or actually remember your dinner reservations for once, so that your partner doesn’t end up realizing that you have the horrible inability to keep track of important dates in your relationship. Either way, it doesn’t have to be elaborately planned.
The way people prove devotion to their loved ones should reflect their true feelings. Take it from Adam and Eve, who looked at each other like they were the only ones in existence. Or Romeo and Juliet, who had a star-crossed love that was to die for. This Valentine’s Day, show your partner that you care, no matter how you choose to do so.
