One of the most humbling experiences of my life was filling out the FAFSA when I first got into WSU. My dad and I were trudging through the brutally long process when I came across “the question.” It was something along the lines of “what is your relationship status?” I clicked on the “single” option and uttered “I know I’m single, thanks FAFSA” to my dad and we had a big laugh about it.

It was only funny for so long, now I am deep into the trenches of my junior year of college without a valentine  in sight. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that. We shouldn’t be shackled down by societal expectations of when and how we should express love.

According to Statista, 52% of people are planning on celebrating Valentine’s day this year. So you are not alone if you don’t have a plan to celebrate the holiday. Don’t give yourself a hard time if you don’t have a date this year, actually, take yourself on a date!

Buy yourself some of your favorite snacks and take a self-love day, it will be worth it, I promise. Watch a movie, go for a drive/walk, or do any other healthy behaviors and focus on yourself for a day.

For me, every self-care day starts with “Star Wars,” (if you want to see my highly controversial ranking of the franchise click the hyperlink) so maybe I can try to squeeze every piece of “Star Wars” media into the day (there are 90+ hours in a day right?).

I know that food is a big part of Valentine’s day traditions so I think I will push my Doordash account (and debit card) to their absolute limits to stock up for the holiday. Bring on Taco Bell, bring on McDonald’s, bring on Birch and Barley, bring on Zoe’s and Moscow Bagel! I will put Joey Chestnut to shame with how many burgers I will consume.

Now that I’m thinking about it, why does love have to be shown on this seemingly random day of the year? Valentine’s day seems more like a corporate creation rather than a religious holiday. The so-called “Big Chocolate” companies want you to buy all of their products so they can fill their coffers with your dirty candy money.

And don’t even get me started on those candy hearts, those things taste like chalk and their corny little slogans drive me up the wall. “Be mine” or “Love ya” are the best slogans the creators could come up with? And people actually buy and enjoy them? Wild. I don’t even want to know how those words are inscribed on the candy.

Seeing all of the heart-shaped boxes in Walmart make me sick, the only heart-shaped box I need is a song by Nirvana. They might as well call me the Valentine’s day Robin Hood, I will steal (chocolate) from the romantic and give it to the jaded.

I foresee myself becoming something of a folk hero, a Valentines day Grinch if you will. And maybe (just maybe) between now and the 14. my heart will grow three sizes, just like the Grinch’s did in the legendary fable.

But for real, don’t feel bad if you don’t have a Valentine. Prioritizing yourself and how to best take care of yourself is something that should be taken care of with or without a valentine.