And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~ Kahlil Gibran



Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day

I have never really liked Valentine's Day. Maybe it stems from the year my dad got me a cute little red teddy bear and hung it (from the neck, mind you) from the light fixture hanging in the middle of my bedroom. Talk about making sure I saw it when I came home from school!

Maybe it is because (before meeting Mr. Barefoot) I never had a sweetie on V-day.

Maybe it is because V-day has always been a day that seems to be a popularity contest. Who gets the biggest flower arrangement, who gets the prettiest jewelry, etc. Heck, even in grade school, kids would make "special" valentines for the kids they REALLY liked, and just give generic ones to the rest of us poor saps.


Now that I have Mr. Barefoot, the day doesn't bother me as much. He is a really good guy who has no problem being "mushy". It is really nice to hear all the nice things that guys are supposed to say to their ladies on heart-day. He does it so well, too. He never seems self-conscious or uncomfortable with all the sweet-talking, etc.

I, on the other hand, have a terrible time with "mush". I look at all those beautiful and elegantly written valentine cards and think "who talks like that? who says that? Oh, for Pete's sake!"

I just feel stupid on V-day. S-T-O-O-P-I-D. Stupid. I never know if I pick out the right thing for him, I never know if I react appropriately to his gift. Life isn't like they show in the movies, where a declaration of undying love earns you sweet music and a fade-to-black. No matter how touched I am by the V-day gesture of the year, I still have laundry to do and kids to care for. I am still sleep deprived and in need of a shower. Not like the movies at all.

I do love Mr. Barefoot, and I very much appreciate his openness about his feelings. It is one of the reasons our relationship has worked. His ability to be affectionate and loving pushes me to be more considerate and loving towards him.

I just wish we didn't have to go through V-day every year. Isn't an anniversary enough?!

6 comments:

whimsical brainpan said...

Happy Commercialized Love Day!

jenny said...

We are pretty much the same as you and Mr. Barefoot. We don't buy each other cards because the holiday "says so". I don't say "I love you" because it is Valentine's day, I say it everyday all day!

I can remember only one time that I had a boyfriend on V day before I met hubby and it was the first time I had gotten something from a boy. My young self was excited about it. Now, I could care less about V day and am just happy I have my husband to share my life with for ALL days!

barefoot gardener said...

Whim
I saw your funnies and just about peed my pants! Little Sprout looked at me all strange as I was giggling madly.

Jenny
Exactly. Make it an every day thing. It is nice to do something special now and again, but why do we have to have a special day for it?!

Deb said...

Well, my anniversary is tomorrow so V day is kind of like a non thing around here. But my hubby surprised me. He's out of town for the night, but he left me a Valentine card AND a two- pack of pajama pants from Sams Club. Better than flowers!

RuthieJ said...

Mr. Barefoot sounds like a "keeper" for sure.
To me V-day is a good excuse to eat some chocolate candy!

Wendy said...

My husband and I were married for several years before he got me a Valentine's Day gift, and then it was like "What did you do?" It's never been one of those days that's special to us. It used to bother me, but I could care less, now. Every day is a day for us to express our love, and February 14 really is just the day after our Little Fire was born, which is the only thing that makes it really special :). Of course he came home with a box of chocolate dipped strawberries from a local chocolatier today - for me and the girls. That was pretty cool ;). He loves us all.