I actually used to remove February 14th from my calendars. Either cut it out or past a 13 1/2 over it. I have long disliked, or even despised, this Hallmark holiday for the focus and import it puts on mushy-gushy b.s. that some people call "love".
I haven't really given my former position much thought in recent years. Now, from this vantage point of 40something, minivan-driving, married, mother of two, I still think it is a real pain in the hiney. Case in point:
I have now spent about 75% of my time with my kids in the past four days "making Valentines". Which means, at their ages, keeping after them to get them done. The 3rd grader finally buckled down and got them done without much hoopla, but the 1st grader, who only had to write names (the to: and from:) on cut out hearts, threw tantrum after tantrum. I told her that if she didn't make one for every kid in the class, then I wouldn't let her take any. I know she wants to have Valentines to hand out, and she would be heart broken if she didn't have them, but she is just so opposed to being told what to do and when to do it, that it becomes a battle. It was painful and really sucked away whatever Valentine-friendly feelings I was trying to nurture.
My husband is often good at sending me flowers or something for Valentine's Day - I won't be surprised if the local florist turns up at my office today and I will be happy if he does, but not mad or heartbroken if he doesn't. I feel a little guilty sometimes because I do not do the same for him, or at least not very often. He buys himself whatever he wants, so it makes gift-giving sort of pointless, even if I could think of something ... and this year, in light of the fact that I recently wrote him a very lovely love letter, I think I'm going to call it good. I adore him, and better yet, I appreciate him, but I do that 365 days a year and don't need some Hallmark card to make it true.
So, if you enjoy Valentine's Day, have at it. I'll be back in sync with your calendar on the 15th!
Yes! Sarah, ditto! I can't wait to get this day over with! I too love my husband 365/days a year, but there is so much pressure on this 14th day of February to "prove" it. Oh please! We agreed this year "no gift giving" - yea! The weight is off my shoulders (and his!).
ReplyDeleteHere's to tomorrow!
When I wrote my poem this morning to Annie, I had no idea it was Valentines Day. I didn't discover it until I went to TangledLou's site. My poem was inspired by the fact that I have been writing it in my head for thirty-one years, and today was the day it picked to emerge. I don't "do" Valentines Day either, though Annie did bring me home a jar of blackberry jam yesterday...
ReplyDeleteNot my favorite day either but , then, I don't like to "do up" any of the Hallmark holidays (which now means pretty much all of them). It's another day in my book with the added hoopla of too much sugar in kid bodies at work. Ha! I know what it really means - in MOST years at the end of 2/14 we are three quarters of the way through the long stretch from 1/1 to 3/1 -- spring is coming!
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