The Wake

Valentine’s Day is designed to give guys an opportunity to show they have a romantic side. Some people actually plan this day months in advance because they want the night to be “perfect.” Even department stores will get into the spirit of the day by carrying romantic items such as flowers, candy and massage oil, or kinkier accessories like handcuffs, chocolate body syrup and flavored condoms.

After all the gifts have been purchased and the reservations have been made, guys will go all out to make sure that their woman will have an evening that she will never forget. A typical date might consist of a guy presenting a woman with flowers and candy, dinner at a fancy restaurant, and (if all goes as planned) a trip to a hotel. But, for those guys that do not have a significant other to treat like a queen, the day brings feelings of bitterness and jealousy.

For single guys, not many options are made available to them without being reminded of how Cupid passed them over. Sure, people throw anti-Valentine’s Day parties with the intent that men and women can get together with their good friend Jack Daniels and proclaim that they are happy living the single life and do not need anyone to take them out anyway. However, these parties are nothing but huge contradictions. Everyone who goes to one of these get-togethers tries to “hook up” with someone and fill the void left over by not having anyone to go out with in the first place.

Sure, there are the guys out there who claim that they have no problem being single on Valentine’s Day. They might even go so far as to say that they don’t want to spend all of that money on dinner and a hotel anyway when they can just go to Deja Vu with the Gophers football team and have just as much fun. Although these guys may have convinced themselves that there is nothing wrong with being bachelors on Valentine’s Day, they’ll just remain single if they continue with this thought process.

So, what can a single guy do to avoid another Valentine’s Day without a woman by his side? First of all, he should determine why he’s single. Is it by choice? If not, then he has some issues that need to be addressed. Some answers may be that he has confidence problems, fear of commitment, or simply put, no game whatsoever. My suggestion: confide in a good female friend. That way, you can get to the root of why it is that you and a woman are not heading off to a hotel with handcuffs and chocolate body syrup.

In the end, there are no real answers as to how guys can prevent a lonely Valentine’s Day. Perhaps it might be best to remain bitter about the day and look at it for what it actually is – a commercial holiday in which restaurants, hotels and department stores can profit from a couple’s love (or lust) for one another.