can't buy me love

i'm taking a little break from yatt for valentine's day. not that it's a big deal or anything in our house, because it's not. but i have some things to say about this holiday (i know i missed the morning window, but...hopefully some people will still read this).

first of all, i've never really been a fan of valentine's day. as a teenager, i chose not to date, so most valentine's days were spent with my friends, celebrating the fact that we weren't tethered to boys. in college, i wanted a boyfriend but didn't have the time to devote myself to a relationship (plus, let's face it, i hadn't learned how to love myself yet), so the day passed as another mundane day-in-the-life-of-studious-me. now that i've been in a relationship for almost three years, the holiday still goes largely uncelebrated. why?

because we make time to tell (and show) each other that we love each other. every day.

this holiday has become such a commercialized beast. it's a lot of "have these chocolates-that-make-you-fat/flowers-that-die/stuffed-animal-you-won't-play-with because i LOVE you!" it's battling crowds and paying far too much at restaurants. it's lots and lots of red and pink. everywhere. it's all these things that on the exterior, look like love, but underneath are a little hokey.

what it should be is a husband spending a couple hours in the afternoon painting a picture he knows his wife will love. it should be a wife choosing to read on the floor in the office, even though it's uncomfortable, just because she knows it'll make him happy. it should be making dinner together, and snuggling on the couch while you talk for hours, and little kisses in the morning while the other person is still sleeping, so they wake up with the fading imprint of your love on their cheek.

i hope all of you find that one day. :)

j

ps a song for lovers...