How do I write an editor’s note with Valentine’s Day lurking around the corner? That’s the question I have been asking myself for the past week.
Much like the specter of candy hearts and love letters looms over these first two weeks of February, I have been haunted by thoughts of my love life here in Hanover. For this week’s Editor’s Note, I originally intended to write a raunchy, witty “Sex and the City” style account of my time at Dartmouth. However, to spare the eyes of my family, future coworkers and one friend’s mom who I know always reads these notes, perhaps that is better saved for another time and place.
Around this time of year, I often find myself cozying up with a cheesy rom-com to add some color to the dreary grayness of winter. Stepping temporarily into a saturated, dramatized world, it’s easy to cling to passionate declarations of love — Ben stopping Andie’s taxi in the middle of traffic, Sebastian and Mia soaring away with the swelling music of the grand piano. But eventually, the movie ends, I close my laptop and I return to reality.
Even in these moments of escape, though, banking on these depictions of love is a flawed enterprise. The D-plan-fractured, situationship-driven nature of Dartmouth isn’t exactly compatible with rom-com romance. So while I still eagerly await tomorrow’s release of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the fourth “Bridget Jones” movie, it’s also important to seek a more fulfilling love elsewhere.
Perhaps the path to this love can actually be found in “Sex and the City,” the show I spent a good part of last spring binge-watching with my best friend. It’s a glamorous account of the intrigue of sex and relationships, but the show ultimately centers on friendship — after each dating disaster, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha still end up around a diner table debriefing their adventures. They each go through a series of men, but their friends are always there — as Charlotte says at the beginning of season four, they are each other’s soulmates.
Last year, I spent Valentine’s Day at an Italian restaurant in New York with a friend who I hadn’t seen in a while. I hadn’t considered that our reservation for two would, naturally, be seated in the couple’s section, but we spent the evening laughing at all the other good — and bad — dates happening around us. Both on our off terms, we reflected on our Dartmouth relationships, both successful and not so great, and prepared ourselves for a return to campus.
This year, I’m excited to spend another Valentine’s with the people I really love. One friend who shares my passion for “Bridget Jones” will be watching it with me on Thursday. I’m excited to go out for drinks with my roommate and enjoy a Galentine’s dinner at Molly’s with another friend on Friday. I may have no romantic relationship to speak of, but I do have friendships that have lasted many years and will be here for plenty to come — for me, that’s where true love lies.
This week at the Mirror, we’re embracing Valentine’s Day in its many forms. Our writers share their Valentine’s takes, the Dartmouth community asks for advice on matters of the heart and one writer talks to students celebrating their loving friendships on “Galentine’s Day.”
From all corners of campus, we’re celebrating a week of love. Happy Valentine’s Day, Dartmouth — here’s hoping you find love, in whatever form it may come.
