Soooooo.... Valentines Day.... again... What do you do? It is the worst of the contrived Hall Mark Holidays. Made up by our consumer industry ti prey on the insecurity of couples everywhere. Did you buy flowers? Are you going out to dinner? Did you make reservations? What about a gift? And that is all for your spouse or girlfriend or significant others. There is also the “spill-over” effect of getting things and cards for your kids. Then there is the pain of grade school and even high school of who gave you valentine cards and who did not. Painful. Stupid.On the significant other level we need to worry if we are being “romantic” enough. “Appreciative” enough. Everything is graded on the subjective levels that are just... painful and stupid. So much damage is done on Valentines day for the benefit of the restaurant flower and candy business that we should just take a deep, national, collective breathe and say ENOUGH.... FOR GOD SAKES ENOUGH!
But that will not happen. And non of us can really risk being truly disengaged on this day because we really do not want to hurt our spouse or significant other. We love them. We want them to love us. The idea that our lack of action, coupled with a thoughtless remark or question, could hurt them because we did not do the “right” thing is very, very painful.
So do you boycott as a man? Is that the right thing? Do you negotiate a peace with your significant other? A truce of sorts where you both agree to ignore the holiday. But what about treachery on the other side? What happens when they buy you something or do something kind and unexpected? What then? Isn’t it really kinder to do pistols at 20 paces. There at least there is some closure rather then the lingering hurt from a slight several years before. Never forgive, never forget.
This year since it fell on a Saturday we agreed to go out for breakfast. We had some time to kill on Friday night before going out for a favorite nieces birthday celebration and even though we did not have any reservations we went out to eat... at 7... on a Friday. We hit the Shaved Duck on Virginia and Pestolozzi and we got the last table and had french fries covered in pulled pork and a home made cheddar cheese sauce (which tasted like sex on a plate) and then had a big sampler of Bar B Q and some beer and wine. It was perfect. We talked a lot. Then we went out. then we went home and went to bed. And that was pre-valentines day.
On Valentines we had breakfast at Spencer’s Grill then each went to work )on a Saturday). Had lunch with the kids. Went to a Lutheran South v. Lutheran North basketball game. Then off to a joint birthday party surprise for my nephew and his (hopefully) soon to be fiance’. I guess it does not sound like ,much romance but i believe I once again walked through the mine field of Valentines Day. This is a mind field that should be cleared however by international treaties. We need all these bad holidays cleaned up. Screw the hallmark people. Screw the restaurant industry. Lets save a couple of thousand relationships and ban this hated, contrived, mistake of a holiday. Maybe there is a Facebook group called I hate Valentines day. But I hate Facebook groups too.
I have spoken.
1 comment:
This used to be a troubled holiday but is now a breeze. For your wife, simply know her favorite meal and cook it. Throw in her choice of bottle of wine, and you have done well. If she chooses not to appreciate the endeavor, she is cursed as lacking romance. Problem solved.
Post a Comment