An 8 year-old Valentine's Day

As an adult, V-day has been a source of angst. No matter what wonderful surprise happens on this day - nothing can live up to my expectations, and while I am not ungrateful, I am usually always disappointed at the end of the day.

I think I have just figured out why.

As I prepare for my first Valentine's Day in my placement, I find myself surrounded by mini-containers of playdoh with stickers on them, and a few too many bags of Hershey Kisses.

Suddenly I am transported back to my elementary years. The years in which a list was sent out to each classmate, and it was required that you write Valentine's for every person on that list - even the one that no one really ever talked to because he ate paste. Every year, as a student, I was showered with dozens of "Will you be mine?" and heart shaped candies, cookies, and cards - and I recipricated with a carefully crafted valentine of my own.

I like to imagine myself as an "It's the thought that counts" type of person. But as I review the evidence that has led me to my current V-Day woes, I realize that nothing in my adult Feb. 14 experience can ever compare to the creation of Valentine's mailboxes, and then seeing them fill up with heart-warming wishes from classmates.

Sharing the love with the people you spend the most time with...