As a kid, holidays were always met with anticipation coupled with a high level of expectancy. Much like a woman is eager to meet her first child in the womb, is how I felt towards Christmas, Easter, and yes, even Valentine's Day.
Many positive memories accompany each of these holidays. I distinctly remember numerous Christmases where I could not go to sleep for the life of me. I was so excited and wanted to wait up for Santa Claus, yet I inevitably got too tired and fell asleep rather early. I would always wake up several times on Christmas Eve, and go out into the living room and be in awe of the Christmas gifts gently laden under the tree and the chair filled with stockings, overflowing with trinkets, little gifts, and candy.
Easter was similar. My mom always made sure that I had an "egg hunt" outside in our yard, and always took pictures of me. One year, we had an egg hunt at my relative's in Massachusetts and my grandfather rented a bunny suit and I went absolutely ecstatic. I have a lot of good memories of my grandfather. (another post for another day).
By the time February 14th rolled around, my mom always made sure that I had a little basket or a "special bag" filled with anything from hair ties, to sparkly bracelets, to stickers, to scrunchies, to jelly candy hearts. And, forget when I lost a tooth. The "Tooth Fairy," (aka: my mom) would creep quietly into my room and leave me anything from money to a Ty Beanie Baby with a teeny tiny notes and "special fairy dust" all over my pillow and lightly on the floor.
Nowadays, these holidays have lost their "childhood splendor," of being met with high anticipation. Either that, or I'm just getting older! Honestly, some years and holidays, for that matter, seem better than others. Being a working, independent woman, a full-time teacher, recently having put myself through Graduate School, and a homeowner on top of that, brought about a lot of stress and excitement all wrapped into one. I worked and worked and never really thought about the "balance" that I had lost or given up at that point in my life. I was stuck in a routine that was all too familiar and didn't know how to get myself out of it. So, like many who have walked this same path before me, I just remained where I was.
Holidays, like Valentine's Day, are moments within the busy features of our lives that cause us to stop and press the "pause" button. Someday, when "that guy" and I celebrate Valentine's Day, I'd like it to be a time where we can enjoy the presence of each other doing something that we share a similar passion for, whether it's being with kids, cooking, or spending a day at the beach.
Valentine's Day should be a day (everyday, for that matter) for two people to celebrate their love for each other. It should be a day for them to appreciate each other and to remember why they fell for each other in the first place. For me, I'd love to have my man bring me back to the place where we first met year after year so that we can relive those moments together. Dinners at fancy restaurants are nice, but a home cooked meal with candles and soft jazz music also wins my heart, too. Call me "old-fashioned" or "traditional," but I'm the type of woman that doesn't need all of that fancy glitz and glam to "win my heart." Yes, all of that extra addendum is special and nice and should be used at various points during a relationship and marriage (dare I say the "m" word?!). Every lady likes to have an experience out of the ordinary. However, for me, it's the little things, the little moments in life, that I've come to appreciate the most. And the guy who chooses to celebrate those daily life-giving moments and seeks to intertwine his life with mine in the puzzle that we call a relationship, is a guy that is worth knowing, one worth keeping, and one that I want to grow closer to, for years to come.
-as always, from the gluten-free gal,
cheers, my friends!
and good night :)
