Valentine's Day Resources for People Who Could Care Less About Commercialized Cupid

My husband and I talked today about how we want to celebrate Valentine's Day. He's on a ten-day juice fast and I'm doing my own milder version of a winter cleanse so going out for some decadent dinner is out.

"Should we buy each other presents?" I asked him this morning as we were walking the dog.

You see, we actually have a little bit of money on hand right now so it would be possible to get one of the many things we've been lusting over. I thought about presenting him with a flat-screened tv wrapped in a big, red bow. Or a certificate so he can go buy that surfboard he's been asking for since we moved to LA. Even though it's ten years old, the tv we have works fine. And summer is many months away so he wouldn't go surfing in the near future. He just bought me red roses for my birthday so we don't need any more flowers around here. In fact, we really don't need any more things at all. We decided that this year, we will celebrate Valentine's Day Love without participating in the commercialization of Cupid.

We agreed we will make each other cards or write love letters. I think I may use the random words from our current Poetry Contest word list and write him a goofy love poem and then make a collage to go with it.

I've heard a few of my friends grumbling a bit about being single on Valentine's Day. I'm married, but most of my friends are very unattached. So I also wanted to offer up some resources for some of you single ladies and gents to enjoy.

Quirkyalone Community
Fellow 29Giver and my good friend, Sasha Cagen, has a great online community at quirkyalone.net. A quirkyalone person is someone who has the capacity to enjoy single life (but is not opposed to being in a relationship) and generally prefers to be alone rather than dating for the sake of being in a couple. Sasha says that Mark and I are quirkytogether because we are two quirkyalones who have fallen in love and made a long-term commitment to each other. Lord knows we both still like to be alone a lot. We even prefer to sleep alone most nights and don't see that as anything negative. In addition to the online community, I encourage you to check out Sasha's book, Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics. A few years ago, Sasha proclaimed that February 14 is International Quirkyalone Day and parties are thrown all over the world to celebrate. See if there's a Quirkyalone celebration in your area this Saturday. If not, I encourage you to throw your own Quirkyalone party!


The Last Single Girl In The World
29Giver Jerusha Stewart, who is the host of our 29Gifts Singles Group, has a great site that is all about celebrating being single. Check out Jerusha's wonderful video blog webisodes and her book, The Last Single Girl's Manifesta.