Some reflections on the way people are for Valentine's Day

Two of my really good friends view relationships quite differently than I do. They’re both really great people: smart, ambitious, funny, easy going and, one could say, All-American.

My friends somehow manage to attract the attentions of the opposite sex readily and with no effort whatsoever. However, they’re always completely perplexed when they discover that their friends of the opposite sex have feelings for them. This, in fact, has happened to both of them on multiple occasions. My friends will think they’re developing this great friendship and all of a sudden (awkward!) they find out it’s not what they thought. They’re totally dumbfounded about why this continually keeps happening to them.

I, being on the flip side, totally know why this is: they’re so freaking nice! In a way, it’s incredibly sad that society has deteriorated to the point where the norm is to only be really nice to people you care about. So, when a guy who is a stranger or is someone I’m not particularly well acquainted with shows kindness, I automatically assume something’s up.

Despite whatever dysfunctions I may have, I still think courtesies are at the roots of my friends’ problem. They take the time to care and to really listen to what others are saying. That seems so rare these days and is one of the reasons I truly treasure them as friends. Then again, maybe I'm delusional.