Oh happy day.

Cinematic Moment:  Will you be my Valentine?

My earliest Valentine's Days were a bit like a birthday.  My parents would surprise us with gifts and send us treats at school before doing their own thing as a couple later in the evening.  I'd get a card from my grandma, some cartoon bunny or turtle covered in red and pink hearts with a handwritten note about how special we were to her and $5 to spend on conversation hearts.  We looked forward to it.  As I grew up and got a job hostessing at a restaurant at 15, my mom still sent me roses to work.  I'd stand up there on the podium, slightly embarrassed it was my mother sending them, but mostly overwhelmed with gratitude and pride that she was so thoughtful.  

Once I got a boyfriend however, things changed.  Valentine's Day suddenly grew a ton of expectations in my mind, which is one thing if they are fulfilled, but a very different monster when they aren't.  V-day became a holiday like New Years Eve--always overhyped and typically disappointing.  With every new man in my life, I felt a bit more jaded and a little less interested in celebrating what I had decided was a Hallmark holiday.  

Then I grew up even more, got a real job in an office and moved in with a man.  Sure enough, on Valentine's Day not only did I get 100 Peruvian lilies from mom, but a fax (on the company fax, mind you) reading " I love you baby girl.  Have a fun day at work!"  

It's funny how easy it can be amidst the daily grind of running a household, a business and a relationship to overlook what's at the core of it all.  People worry about overusing the phrase "I love you" thinking it might lose its meaning.  Does breathing become any less necessary because you have to do it every few seconds?  I think you should say I love you every chance you get and mean it more every time it comes out of your mouth. The evolution of love--the mistakes we wish we could take back, the secret language you develop over the years, the understanding of a person almost better than yourself, the moments when you feel your heart might explode from complete happiness, the fighting over trivial things or over huge issues, the room to grow--it deserves recognition as much as a dead president or adventurer.  It deserves its own day because it is something we live in and for.  It expands and branches into every part of our lives;  from the day we are born to parents who will always think we are the most beautiful creatures to walk the earth to the lady at the coffee shop who remembers what you drink every morning to people who wake up every morning and care enough to read what someone else they've never met has to say.

Most of the time we keep things light around here and we discuss horrific music videos or shit sandwiches.  I know a lot of you are going through tough romantic times right now or no romantic times at all and don't even want to hear the phrase "Valentine."  Today isn't meant for guilting your significant other into buying you that tennis bracelet you've been eyeing up or moping around because a relationship didn't work out.   It's for everyone who has ever felt loved by another human being, a day devoted to reminding those people what you should be reminding them of everyday.  So get out of those pajamas and go fill the world with love!  And don't worry--I haven't forgotten about giving February 15th some extra attention with song lyrics that will break your heart;)

kisses,

chonny