Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day - 25 years

Realizing on this day, this kind of day where I once wanted to kill myself (not literally, but you know what I mean), that there is something special about celebrating Valentine's Day. We don't do much. I left a card this morning. I just got his after returning home from a movie - which I'd gone to alone. Threw a fresh batch of baked ziti in the oven, then left home before either of my guys returned home from school. One a professor, the other in 11th grade.

At the movies I sat between two couples my own age. On the left, married 25 years. On the right, more like 7. But they each snuggled and held hands. The couple on the right choosing that moment to exchange their cards, one store bought, the other, handmade. When you're single, and you hear about the drought of a long term marriage, you want to believe that it's true. But it's not, for the lucky few of us. I didn't get babe looks, a photographic memory, or stellar talent, but I got a Valentine, who 25 years later, still makes my heart beat faster.

Happy Valentine's Day

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

A poem for the drought.

To love a person is to learn the song
That is in their heart,
And to sing it to them
When they have forgotten.
- Anonymous

Anonymous said...

A quick V-Day musing:

I've always been a Hallmark holiday hater - until this year. I woke up to find a bag of goodies on my doorstep - some candy and dog treats for my Jimmy. Nice stuff but the best thing about it was the simple hand written card that showed appreciation for me and our short time together in ways I'd never thought about, but made absolute sense.

I don't know if this Valentine will still be mine after 25 years (which sounds nice in theory) or even 25 days, but she made me see the day in a pure light that I'd never attributed to it before.

On the flip side, I got her a decent gift - one that I know she wanted. Mavericks tickets - and I happened to choose a day when the Knicks, the team I hate to love will be in town. Not very romantic in the traditional sense, but I guess it's an unspoken commitment to spend a weekend together in Dallas in late March. After getting her nice card that morning I felt pressure to wrap the tix up in some traditional pink v-day thing and write up a romantic card. Problem was I was swamped w/ work and couldn't get it together. Turns out last minute on the way to pick her up I was walking by an office max and decided it would have to suffice. I found a pink trapper keeper style folder, some american flag heart stickers and some basketball stickers. I put 'em all together in about two seconds and crossed my fingers. She seemed to love it. Now, I don't know if it looked like I put alot of thought in to it - because I hadn't. It was total dumb dork luck to decide to try office max and to find those dorky stickers and I put it all together in two seconds. But I guess that's my style and I guess she digs it. Which is nice.

Okay, that wasn't so quick. Sorry. Didn't mean to hijack your blog. That poem said it quicker than I did.

grainyms said...

H- thanks for sharing. Sounds like excellent v-day exchange all the way around. Particularly giving her something she'd specifically appreciate rather than pro forma roses and candy. Nice.

grainyms said...

I love this poem "for the drought." Never heard it before. Thanks for posting.