With Love

I used to love Valentine's Day as a kid.

I'd look forward to waking up in the morning and seeing what treats my parents had put on my breakfast spot and reading the card they'd picked out for me.

Then I'd rush off to school where the teacher would have some sort of fun activity planned with the cutting out of hearts and red and pink and white and we'd all have envelopes on the sides of our desks and everyone would get a card from everyone and some candies too and it was all such fun!

In high school there was the added suspense of waiting for the carnation delivery to see if you had a secret admirer or if maybe today was the day the guy you liked told you he liked you too and I don't remember a high school Valentine's day that didn't leave me a little starry eyed and wondering just whose writing it was that had filled out that card. In high school, Valentine's Day was awesome.

I had a boyfriend for a few Valentine's Days in University and I remember one fellow, a new guy I'd been seeing just for a couple of weeks bought me a gigantic Hershey's Kiss and the thing was solid the whole way through and it was so delicious to gnaw my way through it. And I remember that same guy and I going to see Princess Bride and all of his (rather drunk) friends making fun of us (Kiss her man, kiss her!) and the whole thing was terribly embarrassing and I wanted to die right there in the dark theatre as Wesley told Buttercup he would do as she wished.

I still like Valentine's Day. And yes, I still secretly wait for a card from a secret admirer or a bouquet of flowers to surprise me at work or a box of chocolates to be delivered to my doorstep. But I also know that there's not a huge chance of that happening seeing as I haven't encountered any single men lately who'd be able to be a secret admirer or who know where I live and at spy work? Well, they're all married, or soon to be. So I guess that means I've grown up. And I guess that's a little disappointing.

I know a lot of people who pooh pooh Valentine's Day saying that if you love someone you should show it every day and that it's just a holiday that's made up by card companies and that it's all a bunch of malarkey. Well, I'm sorry, but I politely disagree.

I won't want my husband to necessarily show up with roses and chocolates and diamonds (but hey, if that's what he wants to do, I ain't stopping him!) and yes, I know my husband and I will show each other we love each other regularly and there will be cards for no reason and flowers just because and trips away for no other reason than we can, but I will look forward, each Valentine's Day to a card and maybe some candy, just instead of my parents putting it out for me it'll be him.

No, it's not the one day a year you show your love to someone, but that doesn't mean it's a horrible day. I mean come on. Chocolates? Heart shaped hand made cards? Flowers? Love poems? Having someone tell you they like you? There's nothing wrong with that in my book.

Happy Valentine's Day you guys. Consider this your little mini hand signed card from me.

Want to be my Valentine?