Single Gentlemen’s Act Of Guerrilla Valentine

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.

Phyllis Diller

My post goes out to the young Gents, especially to those single who have no specific person on whom to focus their intent or attentions this coming Saturday, you know, Valentine’s Day. When you have someone special in your life, or at least someone you’re interested in, this day has a specific meaning. But what about those who don’t have anyone at the moment? For you I offer Guerilla Valentine.

Let me make one thing emphatically clear, there is nothing wrong with being single. You don’t need anyone to complete your life, so please avoid “hooking” up with the wrong someone just to avoid spending Valentine’s alone.

During my first year at college, I decided to buy a dozen flowers and hand them out to random ladies in the campus. I will admit that my intention was more along the lines of meeting women than brightening their day. But that year I noticed how the simple surprise of receiving a detail meant so much, especially when the ladies were not expecting anything that day.

The next year, a few of my friends joined me to go out and “Guerrilla Valentine.” We called it like that as it was similar to Guerrilla Warfare, where a small band of soldiers could overcome a larger force thanks to surprise. We did add a couple of simple rules. You would start early in the day, before most Valentine Givers were handing out their gifts, this way the first gift a woman would get was our flower. We would go up to a random woman, hand her a flower, wish her a Happy Valentine’s, and then WALK AWAY. This last step was crucial. This wasn’t about hitting on women, but about spreading as many smiles as possible. That year, three of us gave about 6 dozen flowers.

By the third year, we were about 5 guys and about 12 dozen flowers. By now we had enough flowers that we started handing them out to guys, teachers, and had enough to hand out during our commute home.

Some men assume that Valentine’s Day is a day to show off your skill with a credit card. And to be honest, some women want that. These are exactly the women you want to avoid. Valentine’s is about giving a small detail, a surprise, an instant of affection, to the person close to you. It’s about giving a person a reason to smile, even if you don’t know the person.

So, Gentlemen, if you have nothing planned this week, go out and surprise the hell out of anyone out there. Make it random and make it special. Give people a reason to smile. I can guarantee that if their morning starts out that well, their mood will last the rest of the day.