I've been reading on facebook, blogs, etc. about how so many people don't like Valentine's Day. I totally understand the dislike of the materialized symbols that have overrun the true meaning of the day and all the loud, obnoxious marketing of it all, but I have to admit that I LOVE Valentine's Day. Here is my wrap up on the holiday:
I have loved this day since I can remember. In Elementary school, each kid would make their own mailbox for notes and letters out of a shoe box and decorate it with hearts and xoxox's. I would spend hours decorating my mailbox and making it adorable. I remember hoping and praying everyday for a love note from my crush (or crushes). I think I still have a few of these from 3rd or 4th grade tucked in childhood box :) As a little girl, I loved making Valentines for all my classmates and friends, writing little coded messages for the special few whom I admired and gluing the candy hearts onto each one. The air about Valentines Day was so fun and suspenseful and exciting to me. Thinking about it makes me smile.
As I got older, some Valentine Days were really, really awful. There were two Valentine Days in college that fall into the "10 worst days of my life" category, where all my friends and roommates were getting flowers and chocolates and balloons from their admirers and the lame boy that I had been dating for 4 months did nothing. So I went through the "I hate Valentine's Day" period, because I did hate it. It wasn't fun. It's in the past, and seriously, I'm not bitter about all that stuff. It doesn't matter to me much anymore.
But I love Valentine's Day because it is about love and taking time to communicate that love to those who are important to you. Part of loving someone is knowing how THEY want you to express that to them and figuring that out is one of the most important things to learn while on earth- understanding people and what makes them happy. Communicating that love is so, so important. Just assuming someone knows is silly.
When Rob and I fell in love, I thought he would turn into a Sara mind-reader or something. I would get frustrated when he couldn't understand why I was feeling what I was feeling, and I'd blame him! That's what I thought love was. So the journey of marriage continues for us and we are still trying to work out the kinks. I have to say, though, we've worked very hard on communication and expressing our love to one another through actions and words, and part of that was me opening my mouth and very plainly saying "I'd like you to bring me home flowers every so often. That would mean alot to me". And cute Robbie, now brings me home flowers every so often :)
Life is really busy at this time in my life and even though Rob and I tell one another multiple times a day that we love each other, we don't get the chance to go out on a date very often or do some of the things for one another that we used to. So I love Valentine's Day because it helps me just slow down and really think about how much I love Rob and then do something about it!
We went to a play last weekend and out to our favorite restaurant- Bizarro's in Wallingford. And this Saturday we went down to Pike's Place and I got to pick out some lovely tulips and we exchanged love notes (which is STILL my favorite part!). I love my Robbie!
8 comments:
Rob just commented that the whole Elementary school mailbox thing is probably very traumatic for a lot of people and is what turns them off from Valentine's Day from the get-go. Sorry that this wasn't fun for many of you out there.
I totally remember our Freshman year Valentine's Day! Wasn't that the day that you gave blood and passed out and I missed my doctor's appointment? And then all those balloons and valentines in the Helaman Halls center and NONE of them were for us?! It was a truly terrible day that I will also never forget!
But, I also loved decorating Valentine's Day boxes in school! And I also still have a Valentine from a boy in 4th grade! It reads (I've memorized it): "Dear Liz, I like you a lot. Don't tell anyone." It was from Dan Nistler ;)
True, it can be a hard for lots of people - but maybe that just gives us opportunities to remember that we can and should show love to everyone (and teach our kids that that's the right thing to do too). So Happy Valentine's Day!
I am a HUGE fan of Valentine's day too :-)! Mike and I had the same conversation about flowers...I think we may have had it a few times actually, but he's got it down now :-). I'm glad you had a special day with your lover boy :-)!
Great post Sara. I like V Day, but don't get too wrapped up in the holiday. I too simply enjoy a day the allows and reminds me to slow down and take a day with my hubby.
growing up we had the valentine's day phantom. . .a mysterious creature who would ring the doorbell leaving gifts behind. I think that's where my love for the day comes from. I love any chance to eat yummy food and be sentimental! I even loved V-days when single because I used the day as an excuse to pamper myself. My worst was a blind date one year as a favor to a friend-she and her boyfriend were having problems so I figured I could act as a buffer but it was awful.
Glad you had a great day!
Hasn't every woman had that flower conversation with her husband?! My favorite Sara Jean quote is: "[Sigh] I love love."
Cute post Sara and I like the 'mind reader' comment, I thought the same thing when first married :)
I sometimes sing "I can't read your mind" (a la "Can you read my mind" from Superman). But honestly, Taylor is better at communicating than I am. I have to work on not "stonewalling" if I'm upset. That's supposed to be the "male reaction", but it's definitely my tendency more than his!
We just watched "I Hate Valentines Day." Not the greatest movie, but it fits with your blog.
I love that you love love, Sara!
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