Hallmark played you didn’t they? They fed you lies that Valentine’s Day equates to love and you really thought that they’re taking you on this date because they wanted to spend the rest of their life with you or something. Here’s a reality check for you: it’s just a date.

While there are many people out there who are hoping to find “the one” on Valentine’s Day, it isn’t quite the end all be all you should hoping for.

So let’s be real: it’s 2019 and most of us are meeting on dating apps. While scrolling through, people find someone who looks like a candy-coated snack, thinks “what have I got to lose?” and messages them.

Now you guys are going on this Valentine’s date and you’re thinking this could actually lead to something, but when was the last time someone actually found love on Valentine’s Day?

Just the thought of this day sets up high expectations, setting the person and ourselves up for failure, and then we are disappointed when the relationship falls short of anything perfect.

Movies like The Notebook and P.S. I Love You teach you that this is how love should be but realistically relationships should be taken slowly, focusing on getting to know the person before deciding that this could be something serious.

That doesn’t mean that Valentine’s Day isn’t a great excuse to get yourself together and romanticize the idea of love while having a few drinks with a cute person you met.

To think that this could be the one solely because it’s Valentine’s Day and this person chose you to go on this date with is completely absurd.

Yeah, they could probably like you and this could possibly lead to something. Isn’t that the standard with most dates, though? There’s always potential but that doesn’t mean that the potential changes because of a Hallmark holiday.

With all of that being said, Valentine’s Day should be treated as another day. It isn’t a day that the universe put together so that we may find “the one.”

It is another day and it should be treated as such. So next time you’re asked on a date and it’s for Valentines Day, stay cool and remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day and your love life won’t be either.

It’s all about playing the game.