Gary Direnfeld

I was...

Now that, that was special.

I'm sure it was.

Okay, Valentine's Day.

What happens when it's not so special is what we're going to discuss.

I feel like we've discussed this before with Thanksgiving, with Christmas, with these holidays where your life is supposed to fit this very, in some sense, narrow script.

Like for Christmas, what if you don't get along with your family?

What if being at a dinner with your family is arguments and pain and relive trauma and all these horrible things, and yet the common narrative in the culture is this lovely dinner with your family, whatever?

Or in my case, I guess you're Jewish, so you don't get to have that, but that's a different conversation.

We've got the

equivalents come on the same is true for valentine's day couples go through rough patches they recover from them sometimes they don't but what if you're going through one during valentine's day what if you're single you just had a bad breakup and everything on television everything on tiktok everything online is reminding you of this special day and your life doesn't fit that script script that is tough for people

Yeah, and I distinguish Valentine's Day from all these other holidays.

The distinguishing feature is, for many, Valentine's Day is so personal.

It is a statement on their worth.

as a loving partner and the relationship that they're in.

This one hits closer to home, if you will, than virtually any of the other holidays.

do I have a loving relationship?

What does it say about my partner?

What does it say about me?

And so, not for everyone, of course, but for many people, Valentine's Day is imbued with these huge expectations.