One can always tell when Valentine’s Day is nearing on the Berkeley campus by simply walking through Sproul. Why one would walk down the center of Sproul is an entirely different question, but regardless – Valentine’s Day is definitely just around the corner if the tables are suddenly featuring an abundance of red in their displays, particularly considering their Berkeley and anti-Stanford affiliations.

…it’s definitely the season of love, my friends.

In the past, when I didn’t have a date for Valentine’s Day, I always used this day as a chance to show my love to my friends with baked goods, personalized mix tapes, and handwritten cards. This is the first year I’ll be able to “properly” celebrate Valentine’s Day with my partner which will undoubtedly involve Cupcakin’ and/or mini cheesecakes, but there are still definitely some people missing from this picture.

Back when I was on Tumblr, I wrote a post titled “As You Wish” about how people expressed their love to others; and in the years before that, I used to write Facebook Notes to a number of my then-closest friends, thanking them for being a part of my life.

Although this is the first year I can officially celebrate Valentine’s Day with a significant other, I didn’t see any reason why I should end any of my other traditions this year because of that. And before you say it: Yes, I realize I spent all of that Tumblr post writing about how one should do more than simply “telling” others how they care and actually “show” it, but given my current predicament of being physically separated from many of my close friends, I suppose this will have to do for now. Bear with me. I don’t like them not being here either.

To the one who is currently teaching me just how hard it is to circumnavigate the pond –

To the one who is my co-everything –

To the one who sought me out back in freshman year in our high school cafeteria with those brunch bagels filled with sausage and egg –

To the honey to my bears –

To the one who reminds me how to smile even when I’m feeling most down and knows how to comfort me with plush animal cuddles –

To the one who reminds me of Westley,

To those who remind me why I have always liked and still keep a number of close male friends –

And to those who have somehow stuck with me and remained by my side over the past one, two, five, ten years; and those who are here for me now –

Thank you for being such an important part of my life. I realize I don’t show this enough to any of you, but I appreciate all of you so much. I’ve no clue how I come off to the rest of the world, but I occasionally receive comments about how composed I seem. While this is flattering, do realize that this is not necessarily the case.

My tight schedule hasn’t granted me much time to see as many people as I would like since I’ve come back to school, so it’s been a bit rough, acclimating this semester. The long days pile together into too-short of weeks that start blurring together, and it takes each one of you contributing in your own unique ways to a messy, hodgepodge shower of love that helps me get through day. The mere thought of knowing that you will be there for me with words from across a dinner table, over a Facebook message, over a text message, across the entire Atlantic Ocean is enough – enough for everything.

I can only hope that I provide at least one or two of you with the same sort of security blanketing love that you give me. Thank you for agreeing to be a part of my life. You really, truly don’t know how much that means to me.

Happy Valentine’s Day.