Post Valentine Reflections

Saturday afternoon involved running errands and lunch with my husband. Seeing as it was Valentine's Day on a weekend, my senses were tuned in to the sights and sounds of an international day of love. While saving a booth at Panera which was completely mad at the lunch hour, my eyes scanned the crowds of buzzing tables of people. Moms and dads with babies and toddlers in tow, multitasking by taking turns helping feed the toddlers, burping the baby and feeding themselves, Valentine's Day was probably anything but romantic at that table. Then there were girlfriends coming together over a healthy half salad and cup of soup to bemoan their similar loveless fates. Last but not least were the old, comfortable silver haired couples who sat in complete comfortable silence and didn't try to prove anything. 

As Panera gave me a good sampling of society, I tried to look into the souls of women of all ages and walks of life  to see if they would feel special on this day like no other. My ears were tuned in, my eyes were focusing on non-verbals and I left with only one obvious observation - a multitude of women dressed in red. Maybe that is what it took to remind the opposite sex of what sort of day it was. 

Being married myself for over four years, you would think I would have some great tricks up my sleeve, originality and just the thing to say "I love you." Well, I didn't. Racking my brain for something that was specific, intimate, said 'us' and our resplendent relationship, I fell back on all the old tried and true tricks the spelled out s-t-e-r-e-o-t-y-p-i-c-a-l. In a last ditch effort, a deep fryer called out from me from an alluring end aisle display. "OK," not sentimental, but definitely original. If a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, deep fat fried foods would land me in a sweet, clotted artery sort of place. So, with a sigh that all my creativity had failed me, I hauled my deep fat fryer to the check out.