Happy V.D.

Valentine's Day Sucks, 2007

Valentine's Day.  A day of romance and love.  A chance for your sweetheart to make you feel special and loved.

Or...not.

I made the illustration to the left back in 2007 when I was trying to establish a relationship with a potential book partner.  She was writing a book about sad children and I was going to illustrate it.  Last I heard she still hadn't finished it.  My point though is when thinking about sadness and disappointment, I thought about how rough affection can be on the people who aren't getting any.  In a kid's world, that can be pretty devastating.

Now, I'm not necessarily a proponent on the whole "everybody gets a trophy" culture, but there might be some merit to the practice of making sure children give a valentine to everyone if they're giving them out.  

I do want to admit though that giving the unhappy girl not cute hair and big glasses was trite.  Although it does make the point.

So Happy Valentine's Day readers!  I hope someone grabs you, holds you tight, and won't let go.  And I hope it's not a stranger in an alley.