Cupid's Got a Shotgun and He's Aiming For My Heart

It's that time of year, with Valentine's Day fast approaching... love is in the air (and, completely unrelated, so is the flu).  The roots of Valentine's Day go all the way back to an ancient Roman fertility festival held in mid-February, called Lupercalia.  Later, the Christian Church chose February 14th for St. Valentine's Day to Christianize the celebration (wow, yet another holiday stolen).  While there were several Christian clerics named Valentine, one of them was sentenced to death by stoning and be-heading (they don't tell you that in the greeting cards) for performing marriages in secret after Emperor Claudius II banned marriage for young Romans, thinking that single men would make better soldiers.  Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as the day to celebrate the soft-hearted Valentine in the 5th Century.  It wasn't until the 1300's that the holiday became associated with love and romance and it was thought back then that February 14th began the birds mating season, as well.  The first written Valentines greetings showed up in the 15th century, and by the 17th century, England began the tradition of exchanging cards or letters.  In the 1840's, the first mass-produced holiday cards emerged and it soon exploded into the major industry it is today.

The myth and legend of Cupid, son of Venus, started about 3000 years ago in Greece, except they called him Eros (which is where 'erotic' is derived).  Supposedly, he was so handsome that he could get both Gods and humans under his love spell, shooting them with his gold-tipped arrows (lead-tipped for 'hate').  The bow and arrow signifies how love wounds and inflames the heart.  The Romans were the one that dubbed him 'Cupid' (Latin for 'desire') and artists painted him as a baby angel, and the image stuck, sometimes with a blindfold to show that love is blind, and winged to show that love is flighty and changes swiftly.

More than 62% of Americans celebrate Valentine's Day by giving cards, flowers and gifts.  An estimated 1 billion cards are sent each year, more than on any holiday except Christmas.  Some 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold and 220 million roses produced just for the occasion. In America, an estimated 20 billion dollars are spent, or an average of $130 per person.  And while cards and candy are the most popular gifts, jewelry is also high on the list.

Personally, I don't stress over having someone in my life for Valentine's Day.  Just because you kiss a bunch of frogs doesn't mean you'll find your Prince.  Often times, I do something to treat myself... a splurge, if you will.  Maybe with my favorite dessert (or a slab of bacon) or by grabbing a few movies and running a nice bath in the tub and enjoying a nice evening with some lit candles.  Of course, it's always nice to have someone there to share it with you... to kiss and cuddle up with... but you can't define love only with someone else...  you first have to love yourself and be ok with being by yourself, otherwise, when it's your turn to be shot by Cupid's arrow, you'll not be the best you can be and love will flee.