Valentine's Day According to Me

I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. I like the idea of celebrating love, but I see this particular holiday as a commercial event that leaves out those who have no boyfriend/girlfriend/lover/partner/spouse. My cynical view of Valentine's Day (I call it VD) probably stems from being a single mom for 12 years. Every VD, I would go to work, dreading the parade of flowers that would march past me en route to my female co-workers. By the end of the day, mine was one of very few unadorned desks.

When I met the man who is now my husband, he gave me a card for our first Valentine’s Day. He has a habit of purchasing cards, modifying the message, and watching for my reaction to see if I catch his clever edits. Seven years ago, we started giving each other traditional Valentines. I now receive a dozen red roses, along with a heart-shaped box of candy, and one of his goofy cards. I give him a box of expensive chocolates. (This year, I gave him a huge jar of jelly beans because I felt it was time to shake things up.)

In spite of my cynicism towards Valentine’s Day, I appreciate that I have someone special in my life. I enjoy feasting on chocolate and breathing in the aroma of roses. But in a few days, the heart-shaped box will contain empty crumpled paper. (My chocolate is always the first to go, and it goes fast). The roses will soon droop in their vase. What I celebrate every day is that when I go to sleep at night and wake up every morning, my sweet, unromantic husband is right there next to me. No commercial holiday can make that blessing any more meaningful.