Valentine's Day started out a lot like how Halloween did for me. I would actually look forward to the candy and the cards. It went from this joyous celebration of candy hearts, to the back of some line at the local cinema to watch the premier of 50 Shades of Grey. 

As youth fades, so did the blissful joy of these seasonal occurrences. Halloween turned into another day during the week which would be spent procrastinating that CISM homework for just one more day to get blitzed. And, now, Valentine's is this stressful day when the masses are either ashamed of being single or blow up Instagram with bae. 

However, that is not saying I don't believe in Valentine's Day. I am just happy they kept the bars open. For the first time since freshmen year of high school, I am single on V-Day. Being on the other side of everything actually makes me sort of heated at how I have never really understood the true meaning of the holiday. 

It's the beer. 

Gotcha, well sort of. So it is this single day in the year when we celebrate love, but it is the love of those who are timeless. What do I mean by that? Saturday morning, I woke up to a text from my parents wishing me "Happy Valentine's Day." It did not register with me at first, but once it did, I completely realized that your Valentine isn't just your significant other. It is your loved ones and those you don't know yet. Yeah, that's right. You might be single today, or in a complicated sinking ship. Here or there, but somewhere out there, is your true Valentine in a timeless sense. With all that being said, you need to find that same love for the people who have always been by your side. Even if it is just your college dog, Banjo -- everyone has a Valentine. Spread the V-Day love the way we used to when we were kids. 

So Valentine's Day 2015 was spent in a bar with the people I care about. We raised shots to those who could not be there and for the Valentine I may or may not know, yet. Just like my kindergarten Valentine's Day, I gave out Valentine's Day cards and candy to as many people as possible -- except I replaced the cards and candy with shots. Things may change slightly, but tradition doesn't budge. 

Hope everyone had a ballin' Valentine's Day. Cheers. The key to peace is not in the love of another, but in the love of all.