A Hallmark moment

There I was. Bewildered. Lost. Confused. Ready to either burst into tears or make a break for it.

In the Valentine's Day card section of Target.

For the past 22 years of my life I have celebrated Single's Awareness Day with a marked propensity towards eating Russell Stover out of business and making sure that I and I alone keep the chick flick genre alive.

After all, someone has to put forth the money to put food on Colin Firth's table.

I'm not entirely certain how I've managed it, but I have been completely relationship phobic around the big day, making the need to stand in the Valentine's Day card section of Target with such an exasperated look on my face completely and totally unnecessary. Funny cards for my friends. Funny cards for my parents. Cute cards for my nieces and nephews. And done.

I can remember my college roommate a couple years ago in the same struggle I found myself in last night, and her mom and I, all margarita'd up after a Fat Tuesday celebration at La Perla laughing hysterically in the aisles as she went from card to card to card not entirely certain what message was appropriate for the relationship she was in-- but at the same time wasn't.

Clearly whatever she ended up going with did the trick. She got a dozen pink roses on Valentine's Day.

I got my pre-ordered copy of "The Notebook" and an extra helping of chicken nuggets at dinner.