Valentine’s Day

Sometimes I feel like I exist on a different planet than say, everyone else. Example: Fifty Shades of Grey is coming out in movie form on the most cliché day ever, Valentine’s Day. It seems that I am the only person left on earth that has not read/has no interest in reading these books. Even the must-read-quality-stuff-all-time members of my book club seem to have read it. Oh well. I still have found no compelling reason to start them. 

I find Valentine’s Day, overall, absurd. Yes, I do like to paint my nails pink, and possibly even paint on a heart, but let’s face it, I do that on a regular basis anyway.  And that is the point: we do not need one day to profess our love, buy flowers, buy jewelry and treat our partners with respect. It should happen regularly. FKGuy brings me a cappuccino every single morning. If he started on this once a year It’s-Valentine’s-Day-so-I’ll-bring-you-coffee nonsense, we would have some issues. Similarly, if I waited for “special occasions” to cook him a nice meal, we would starve. As for the jewelry buying? Well, I bought a fun bracelet at Key West Local Luxuries last week. $60 well spent. As for the people at the gas stations selling huge, crappy pink bears with ugly flowers? Yeah, that doesn’t really say “I spent all this time thinking of something to get you. See how thoughtful I am?” Not so much.

Restaurants are another piece of this nonsensical puzzle. I realized a week ago that after this busy week, and plans to stay in Friday night and Sunday night, I wanted to go out on Saturday night. Then I realized it was Valentine’s Day. I asked our friends at The Flaming Buoy if we could get a reservation. (Mind you, this is a week out, and in Key West, so that should be plenty of time.) I was told they were completely full, except for a couple of seats at the bar. Is a bad day to go out to eat? Yep. But I am confident that the restaurant will provide the same excellent food and service they always do. Plus, we will have a perch at the bar, which is perfect for making up everyone else’s Valentine’s Day back stories. Hey, at least I entertain myself.

I guess I will continue the next several decades, just like the last – by existing on my own little planet, rarely watching the news (especially since Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show), and enjoying it all. I am grateful every day for my wonderful life and I try to enjoy it on a daily basis. But that is the point: enjoy every day, cook yourself a good meal, open a bottle of Champagne just because you can, and make sure you laugh. And stop putting so much pressure on one single day.