Update: Valentine's Day Isn't Completely Terrible

It's freezing outside and St. Louis is full of people so disappointed in their relationship status that they're all drinking at noon and fighting over plastic beads.

But let's not forget the upside to Valentine's Day. We're halfway to the vernal equinox. We've climbed just a little out of the unending darkness of the winter solstice. It's getting a little lighter out.

I conducted a scientific poll—a poll of scientists, not a representative sampling of the population—and it’s true! Seven out of seven plant biologists agree: it’s getting noticeably lighter outside, just in time for this big letdown of a holiday.

So if the chocolate is especially bitter today, just pause to reflect on the changing seasons. Nothing ever lasts forever, be it the cold dark or Mardi gras revelry or the failure to meet high expectations. The Earth keeps spinning around the sun and things grow brighter every day.