February 14th, 2022

I read a quote recently that I really liked, "Love doesn't make the world go 'round.  Love makes the ride worthwhile." (Franklin P Jones).  

Happy Valentine's Day ya'll!  The above is a photo of the beautiful flowers Tim gave me today.  They are in a pitcher today rather than a vase because all of my vases are currently still packed away carefully in boxes in the guest room closet.  I improvised nicely though I think.

You already saw the Valentine's Cookies I made:

And I promise you that there are cards and chocolates still waiting to be opened. This is the long shot of the entire kitchen table full of Valentine's Day goodness:

Some of it is from me to Tim, some from Tim to me.  Hint:  The M&M's are mine.  I know you are not remotely surprised about that :)

But it's also a Monday which is a work day so Tim is at his desk and I am at mine.  I will do my usual Monday things like cleaning, laundry, cooking and possibly grocery shopping.  Right now there is a plumber here taking care of a dripping outside faucet.  That's romantic, right?   Other than the cards, the flowers and the chocolates, this is a very ordinary weekday.

But see, that really is where the romance is.  Loving each other and expressing it on an average day, seeing the extraordinariness in your life partner on an ordinary day is romantic.  Here I am in tatty old jeans and a sweatjacket, no make up, messy hair and a big scrape on my nose (because I am clumsy) doing piles of laundry, stripping the bed, emptying the dishwasher and scrubbing toilets .  What a picture eh?  And still,  Tim brought me flowers.  Because he loves me and this is real life, not a movie. 

I'm not Donna Reed. I don't vacuum in high heels and pearls, perfectly coifed and mascara'ed.    And I'm not Julia Child turning out exquisitely perfect meals on the daily. Nor am I Angelina Jolie, tall and slim and stunningly beautiful living an exciting, international life.   I'm not a brilliant woman who takes the world by storm like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, nor a house keeping genius like Marie Kondo, not even a humanitarian such a Maya Angelou.  Nope.  I'm just me.

But apparently just being me is enough for Tim because he loves me just as I am.   (Cue the Billy Joel song here)

Real Romance having a day when the sink backs up and the gravy boiled over making one helluva mess on the stove and the dog ate your newspaper and the cat threw up on the carpet and the kids are fussing and you had a bad day at work and the car engine is making a suspicious sound but still you are happy to be home because the person you love most in the world is there.    Valentine's Day is just a reminder to be sure the people that you love, know it.  Never assume.   And frankly, even if they are already certain, sometimes it's just nice to hear the words.

Tim and I have been married now for 28 years.  This year will be 29.  And I still get feel that little zing when he walks through the door. Every single time.   When we are going through tough times, he reassures me that it'll be okay and that we will get through it and that's all I need to know to be certain that everything will work out.  Love, trust, faith.  That's romance baby.

I'm not turning down the flowers and the chocolates because, well why would I?  That's crazy.  But on their own, they don't mean much.  It's what they represent.  And in my house today, the flowers, the cards and the chocolates represent the best of the best. I am so very lucky!

Happy Valentine's Day Everybody!  As Mr. Jones said, Love makes the ride worthwhile.  My ride is definitely worthwhile.