Loneliness: The Case of the Romantic Partner Dilemma
Laura Hull, MA, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Valentine’s Day week has the same holiday prerequisite as most other “major” holidays, the prerequisite being the potential to make us feel miserable. It can be a time of fun and celebration or a painful reminder of what is missing in life, in this case, a romantic partner. For years, I never really knew the whole story behind Valentine’s Day. All I knew was that as a child it meant trading Valentine cards with classmates and maybe the occasional love note with the classroom crush. Ah! If only life could stay so simple! Even though I now know the “real” story of how we came to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I am still not convinced it is much more than a conspiracy between jewelers, florist, candy companies and card companies to make us part with more money after a frenzied Christmas buying season. By the beginning of February, commercials run frequently on television and radio, reminding us that we need to