Well, it’s here. Valentine’s Day. We’re supposed to be all red and pink and swirly and giggly and confess our love from the top of the universe.
Gulp.
That’s a lot of pressure.
Valentine’s Day.
These two words filled me with dread when I was in high school. It was the day when students collected pink/red carnation corsages from their secret or not-so-secret admirers. My memory is stunted since I don’t remember when they were given out. In homeroom? By members of the student council? All I remember is the slight hope of anticipation, the sweat of having everybody know if someone will publicly admit to an interest, and the fall of disappointment. That’s a lot to bear in high school.
Some girls (okay, I’ll admit it was rare, but still…) strutted around with four, five, even ten corsages pinned to different parts of their clothing. Some had one carnation, pinned high so everyone can see it and know that someone out there liked them enough to tell them. Others, like me, walked around with none, avoiding the pity looks. Funny how a cheap flower, or for that matter any object, can reduce a person to shame or inflate pride in the matter of an instant.
Thankfully, I survived those corsage days (our high school had these to celebrate most holidays). It helped that I had great friends in high school and we convinced each other that we could make it through these days.
I often wonder what they do in high schools now for Valentine’s Day. Does anyone know?
Now that I’m not in high school, I realize that Valentine’s Day isn’t all about waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to confess their love for me. It’s about spending time with my family, enjoying the little things, treating myself, and sharing the love and goodness in my life with others.
I thought it would be nice to celebrate Valentine’s Day with all of you and came up with the brilliant idea of the Love in the Air contest with an Interview Prize. My husband pretty much announced it was a dud. Why do I not learn from my high school days? Sigh.
But, all is not lost. Eldest had a friend sleep over last night. Even though they snuck a little too much root beer last night and stayed up late telling each other stories, they’re awake now. We’ll have breakfast (homemade cinnamon rolls, sausages and strawberry smoothies), go to middle one’s tae-kwon-do class and then head over to Harvard Square to celebrate Kids Heart Authors Day. I hope we make it in time for the book signings!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
What will you do today?
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