Happy Valentine’s Day in arrears, my love! How did your day go, if you don’t mind me asking? Just whisper it. I promise I’ll hear from here.
Mine?
Boring.
Flat.
Anticlimactic.
Very much not valentining at all.
Fun fact: I have never been a big celebrant of Valentine’s Day, but I’ve always enjoyed watching people get loved on and show love. My ritual is simple: find an emotionally destabilising Netflix show, order something unnecessarily indulgent, and live vicariously through strangers on the internet who appear to be experiencing cinematic love. That’s my ministry.
But this year? Everything felt….so withered. It felt like everyone was just so tired and had little strength left to show love or make a big deal as usual. And lowkey, this made me a tad sad.
Where were the oversized teddy bears that look like they require a gym membership to carry?
The unrealistic bouquets, so large they block traffic?
The aggressively bold captions declaring eternal love like we’re not all one bad mood away from chaos?
Yes, I know social media isn’t real life. I know. I KNOW.
But Valentine’s Day is the one day we all collectively suspend disbelief. It’s the Olympics of romance. The Superbowl of soft-launches. The Met Gala of matching outfits. The one day you get to live vicariously through others, shout God when, without it being too serious, even though you feel a tinge of loneliness.
And this year? Silence.
And I won’t lie…..it unsettled me.
And more than I would like to admit, that fed into my already growing fear.
Because what if, just what if, the ‘internet realists’ are right?
What if true love, the soul-aligning, book-worthy, knees-weakening kind, is slowly becoming folklore?
What if we’re all just well-dressed lonely people with plastered smiles, partnering up to survive inflation and emotional boredom?
What if the love we dream about is just… marketing?
What if we who are still on the other side would probably never cross over?
I spiraled. Briefly.
And then I laughed at myself.
Because while I may not have the cinematic Valentine’s Day content, I do have something steady. Something unbothered by algorithms and soft-launch culture.
I have Jesus, and I love him.
Yes. I said it.
He is my forever Valentine.
Unproblematic. Consistent. Zero ghosting. Zero emotional gymnastics/second-guessing.
10/10 would recommend. Especially for my emotionally exhausted folks.
Now, before you roll your eyes (I promise, if you do, they will fall off), I’m not saying romantic love is extinct. I’m not saying we should all give up and join a monastery.
I’m just saying maybe the absence of grand gestures online doesn’t mean love is dead. Maybe it means love is quieter. Or maybe we’re just tired.
Either way, I refuse to let one underwhelming February 14th convince me that romance has expired.
And until my own overdramatic teddy-bear moment arrives, I will be just fine.
Jesus and I.
So tell me.
He’s my Val.
Who is yours? We can both be single, but at least I have Jesus; who do you have?
And if the answer is “still loading,” that’s okay too.
Remember, Love hasn’t gone extinct. Maybe it’s just not loud right now.
Ok, now that I’m done rubbing my lover in your face, I hope you have a lovely week filled with love, care, and kindness. I hope you find peace in yourself, your God, your family, your friends, and your lover (if you don’t have then just omit this part).
This piece is funny, slightly dramatic, and very honest. It’s about romantic disappointment, internet delusion, and why I’m not letting one quiet February 14th define my belief in love. If this piece stirred something in you, or made you pause and reflect on your own relationships, you’re welcome to reach out and talk to us right here – https://www.justhummingbird.com/contact-me/. And if you need legal or creative guidance and support, you can also explore the services we offer right here – https://services.justhummingbird.com/.