Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day - Or Whatever.


A quick check of the calendar reveals that today is February 14th - Valentine's Day. I think Valentine's Day is great for people who are just starting out in budding romances, or perhaps for newlyweds who don't have kids. I really do. Back when Robin and I were "courting" (how's that for an old-fashioned word?), I used to groove on the day... Hell, I'd start February First or so and make the celebration last for a couple of weeks!


But once you've been around the track a time or two, and kids and life intervene, Valentine's Day becomes a pain in the ass... something you have to remember, like getting an emissions test done on the car. You have to remember the card and you have to remember the flowers. I ask you... where is the romance in that?


Once I got over the whole "romance" part of Valentine's Day, I began to resent the greeting card companies and the florists... the grocery stores that started pumping out heart-shaped cookies... the candy makers pushing the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates (as though we still don't have a cabinet full of candy from Christmas).


None of this is to say I love my wife any less. I love her a ton. I just don't need a calendar to tell me when I need to express it. I came home from the grocery store last week with three bunches of baby carnations in shades of purple and pink... Robin's favorite colors. The smile she had on her face when she saw them after coming home from a long day of work meant far more to me than if I had bought her a dozen roses and gave them to her today, as expected. And you know what else? I hope I don't sound cheap, but those carnations will last three times as long as any bunch of roses!


I don't hate Valentine's Day... I just refuse to be beholden to it. I do have a gift for the missus today - but only because I found something in a store last week that I wanted her to have, so I have wrapped it up for her. I also went out and got bagels this morning, - but I somehow managed to avoid buying the heart-shaped ones!


But we shall still enjoy this day despite its label, not because of it. I seriously doubt a restaurant will be in our plans, because the rest of you will be in restaurants tonight. I think the most romantic thing I can do for Robin is to go shopping with her. It's her favorite activity, and the mall will be empty - because it's Valentine's Day!


Enjoy the day - and if you feel you must do the flowers and the candy and the cards - that's OK. Just don't forget them sometime when your spouse is NOT expecting them! Happy VD!

2 comments:

Julie Matthews said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julie Matthews said...

this sounds like something your illustrious son would have written!