GOING VALENTINES

It happens every year on that date in february..painting the town red..the roses..the cards...the flowers..the dread on the part of guys who have to "live up to the day"..you know the deal..valentines day.
And for as long as i can remember, or at least for as long as ive known what valentines all about i have always thought it to be a major drag to dress up in red and live up to the stereotypes of the day..infact i was probably the one sneering at those men and women who actually had the nerve to wake up in the morning and wear red and walk around with their flowers and baskets of goodies coz it was valentines..i mean that was totally shady...and i had all my reasons to shun the ritual
1. love should be shared and expressed everyday
2. it made those who dont have valentines really lonely and depressed and its not good manners to flaunt
3. commercialization
the list is endless
So come monday morning i went with my usual programme of treating it like it was any other day...well that was untils something nudged me and told me to wear that red scarf...i knew i was tempting fate but i said..what the heck..let me do it..for the fun of it..see what they will say...and boy did the words or should i say looks flood in
So as i approach the matatu stage theres this guy who is looking at me like "are u serious..seriously?" i mean the disgust on his face topped up with the sneer..i almost burst out in laughter..then theres the others in the stage giving me the "are u for real?" look and i told myself wow..imagine if i had gone the full red from head-to-toe? So all the way to the office the reaction was the same: "silly..silly girl" but then i passed this lady who, true to the day, had done the full red and she was strutting her stuff along the street..there was no way anyone was putting her down..it was valentines and she was celebrating it.
Its after observing her that the question begged:"if she is ok with 'going valentines' what the heck is my problem?" Its not my dress or shoes or body..and she is really enjoying the moment...why should i care? She has the right to do the red same as i have the right to not do the red..let it be!
There was a tv interview i watched where the host asked the guest if valentines was overrated and too commercialized and she answered "more or less than christmas?" and it got me thinking...yes, the story of christmas should be celebrated and lived daily not just on christmas day but it never harmed us to take that day in December to really celebrate Christmas, so whats so different about valentines?
yes, you should express your love daily but if we have a day set out for it, why not go all out? coz if we are to go with the arguement then might as well scrap any day set aside to celebrate or remember something or someone.
So it was with that in mind that i made the decision to go all out..expressing my love to all my loved ones not because i do not on other days but because this day was set aside to do so..mtado?