Freewriting Friday — Do You Love or Loathe February 14?

Or are you undecided?

I think I can honestly say neither. There are aspects of Valentine’s Day I do love. I enjoy doing something special or unexpected for my love on February 14th. I enjoy my partner doing something special for me.

An offer of a foot rub or cleaning up the kitchen after he cooks. Yes, he does cook and I do clean the kitchen after dinner. It’s our unspoken deal. I would never expect anyone to cook and clean.

What I don’t like about Valentine’s Day is the same thing I don’t like about Christmas — the commercialism. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry jumps onto the bandwagon to promote their product. It’s just too much.

For the past four years, I’ve been single so Valentine's Day has come and gone without my putting much thought into it at all.

I’ve had a couple of memorable Valentine’s Days. In 1989, when we had two children under two and no steady income, my husband spent $78 on twelve long-stemmed red roses.

$78 we didn’t have. $78 that would have been better spent on food for the family. He thought he was doing the right thing by surprising me. I was surprised, but not in a good way. We fought.

— I’m never buying you another thing.

— Good! I don’t want anything.

I felt bad for him, but who spends that much money on roses when they’re poor? And red roses aren’t even my favourite flower! The advertising around Valentine’s Day sucked him in.

I remember one other special occasion. My partner had organised dinner at the Planetarium watching the stars. How romantic! After dinner, we were taken to “watch the stars” with a hundred other people.

What we experienced was the same program everyone sees — an informative lecture about the stars while craning your head back to see the “stars.” We weren’t even looking at the real night sky, but a fake sky inside a dome. What a disappointment! We both came home with kinked necks.

So yeah. I don’t love Valentine's Day but I don’t hate it either. It’s just another day.

Loved this story though.