I am single.

I am single and it’s Valentine’s Day.

I am single, it’s Valentine’s Day, and I’m not angry or sad.

Weird, huh?

Tonight I’m not going to go out to dinner, bury myself in a pint of Starbucks java chip ice or watch “Pretty Woman” with my single girl friends. I’m not going to wear black in protest or curse Hallmark for forcing such a day on society. For me, it’s just another Monday. For others, it’s the worst day of the year – a day for gawking at happy couples and wallowing in self-pity.

Get over yourself. The pity party is over.

It’s not Valentine’s Day that I despise. What I can’t stand is that so many relationshipless people make such a big deal about being single on Valentine’s Day.

I find it unfortunate that so many people allow Valentine’s Day to make them feel miserably single. Sure, having a significant other who cares about you in a way that’s different from how your friends feel about you would be nice. But the fact is that it would be nice the other 364 days of the year, too.

The curtain lifts and the drama queens come out of their dressing rooms when February rolls around. Don’t cry because you’re single; cry because you think being single makes you less worthwhile.

I’m not a bad person because I’m single. And I’m neither depressed nor pathetic because I’m not in a relationship. The only thing that upsets me is the fact that so many people, girls especially, feel the need to be depressed if they’re single on Valentine’s Day.

The difference between Valentine’s Day and any other Hallmark holiday, say Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, is that a person who does not have a parent to share Mother’s Day or Father’s Day with has a legitimate reason to dislike the holiday and feel sad.

No one has a legitimate reason to let Valentine’s Day make him or her feel low. You’re not any more single on the 14th than you are on Feb. 13 or 15.

One day I hope to be struck by Cupid’s arrow and fall ridiculously in love. Maybe then I’ll spend Valentine’s Day the way it’s supposed to be spent – in clich