| Let’s just start by stating the obvious. My favourite day of the year? February 15. Why? Because of the drugstore pink Hershey’s Kisses and shattered chocolate hearts on for half the price they were a day ago. (I am just a girl standing in front of a shelf, asking myself how many boxes of chocolates I can buy without embarrassing myself.) After all, I’m not eating my feelings. I’m fighting inflation.  Yes, soon it will be “Love-Day”, a day where everyone has an equal chance to be emotionally disappointed. At heart, I am a hopeless romantic and have been since I was 7 years old and wrote my first love poem (yes, it rhymed.) I have long been known to weep at tragic tear–jerkers and make me shout, “There’s room on the raft for two!” Even hearing a few notes of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” will send me into a mascara-streaked fetal position. By the way, if you can honestly say that you’ve never tried to reenact the scene where Jack and Rose are standing on the railing of the Titanic pretending to fly, you deserve two boxes of saccharine confections.  Ask any self-respecting romantic. We all have a high threshold for cheesy Rom-Coms where the guy always gets the girl and they live happily ever after. Like “The Notebook” where they still find a way to express their true love (particularly by kissing a lot in the pouring rain.) But really, who needs an excuse to watch Ryan Gosling in a romance? Nothing says romance like making your way up to the top of the Empire State Building hoping to find a young, emotionally available Tom Hanks. Plus, crying it out over someone else’s problems can be totally cathartic. I also can’t imagine a world in which Harry does not meet Sally, making me want to start the rest of my life as soon as possible with someone. I’m talking Hallmark Channel levels of devotion here.  But for years, I’ve had a complicated relationship with this day, ironically making it the longest relationship I’ve ever been in. The last time I was someone’s type, I was donating blood. What can I say; sometimes Cupid’s aim is a little off and he misses his target. It can happen to the best of us. (But I was voted “nicest ears” in my extended family.) So this year, before I find myself face-down in a pint of Häagen-Dazs praline ice cream or scarfing down an aerosol can of whipped cream, (well, at least the whipped cream has a date), I have to remember that the majority of my life can’t be spent with weak knees and butterflies in my stomach because I would never get anything done. Besides, there are lots of things worse than being alone on Valentine’s Day. Like the delivery guy bringing the wrong food, or fluorescent lighting, or watching couples in a restaurant spelling out “I love you” in bread crumbs and melted cheese. I also don’t need a megaphone next to my ear saying, “Attention, attention, you are alone. That is not a person next to you. That is your jacket.” I mean, who wants those outmoded cliches of chocolate, flowers, and jewelry! All they do is make you fat, suggest you need to smell better, and turn your wrist green via a fake silver bracelet. It’s enough to get anyone pre-annoyed.  The upcoming Valentine’s Day is going to be a testament to my stamina and ingenuity, so one idea I had is to buy a box of colour-it-yourself Tarot cards, cause once I am done, I can read my future and see if this is the last Valentine’s Day I spend on my own. It’s a win-win (or win-lose if the cards aren’t in my favour.) And to send myself a Valentine’s Day card. That way I won’t have to worry about not getting a card in the mail. Or maybe blast Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” for a full 24 hours until it’s safe to come out.  Maybe it would help if I renamed the day to “Marshmallow Appreciation Day” or “Killer Donut Day” or “Glittery Pink Mush Day”. While yes, misery loves company, and for those of us who would much prefer a second Hallowe’en, I still think we need this Super Bowl Day of Romance to love a little harder. A day to stop, take a breath and focus on connection. If we didn’t have this day, maybe we wouldn’t take that time. Singling it out may trigger in us a small reminder that small gestures spread out over the course of a relationships are more important than grand gestures mandated by a commercially based holiday. There’s no rule that says Valentine’s Day is only for romantic love. It should be a day that celebrates love in a general sense. So grab your bonbons, your boo or your crew. Scatter those rose petals, and start chilling the bubbly. Here’s to a love-ly Valentine’s Day. But no pressure. Unless, of course, that’s what you want. I mean, we can see how it goes… This got awkward. Sorry. |
Love Actually
February 7, 2023 by
Well thank you for giving us so many chuckles this morning.
You have a great talent for writing.
Even though I have been married for over 40 years – I don’t like to get caught up in the material chocolate buying before Valentines Day. Much better to buy it on sale the next day.
Bonnie.
Thank you for all your wisdom and unique gifts over the years. I thoroughly enjoy your emails and sense of humour via blogs. Happy February 15!
Janice K.