So, in advance of today’s celebration of all that is soppy and heart-thumpingly 'mantic, I planned two surprises for someone special, like you do. I'm now a restaurant deposit down and am sat alone staring at a brand-new object that I will never use. (Rather ironically, it all adds up to a return train fare).
What's it all about? All this Valentine's stuff? Yeah, all the cynics holler that they don't need a calendar date to remind them to be loving, but the truth of it is, that most of us do need a li'l nudge every now and then. If not a nudge, then an excuse to do something lovely for someone you care about.
Had my expected guest arrived, my plans for the weekend were much nicer than had my guest been coming another time. Dinner out, something we haven't done yet. A gift to open. Wine to drink. That's not to say I'm not usually romantic, cuz I am, I think. It trickles out of me, when I trust that I'm 'liked'. But a date in the calendar, that makes some people a li'l more honest, caring and appreciative, well, I don't see what's wrong with that. It can be tacky and overly commercialised, but you don't have to enter into that side of it. Hand-made gifts and cards are nicer and breakfast in bed, a few nice words whispered in an ear, and a walk in the woods, are all that's required to make a day 'romantic', even if a calendar has poked you in the ribs to remind you to NOT think about work, the bills, or the soaps, or whatever else gets in the way of a lovely eye-staringly, melty, moment.
I was one of the usual cynics. Probably because, for the majority of my adult life, I've been single on Valentine's Day (don't say a word!), but when I think of what my weekend and today could've been like, I can't get cynical. It just makes my heart ache a teeny bit for that other day, that I'm experiencing with my invited guest, in some other dimension, in a parallel life, cuz I didn't get scared and the train fare from Dundee to Newcastle was magically free. And, I'm a wee bit sad and a wee bit jealous of that other me... being loved that little bit more today, just cuz it's Valentine's Day.
I hope you're all getting the love you deserve and that you all feel appreciated by those you appreciate.