Guilt on Valentine's Day

It wasn’t that I didn’t think about it. I have been trying to think up a clever card design for several weeks – something I could make for David that would tell him how very much I love him in a way that would really capture it. The inspiration just didn’t come. I kept coming back to a single red heart with “Be mine” written above it. So I bought a more clever card, but one certainly designed with the generic spouse in mind, not my spouse.

On Valentine’s morning, I not only found a card from David (not handmade, but tastefully chosen), but also one from my two favorite dogs, Dylan and Jake. But more importantly, I found PRESENTS! Two really great poetry books – one of 180 poems chosen by Billy Collins, my current favorite poet who is the poet laureate of the US, and a second book of poems from Walt Whitman. David had zeroed in on one of my current passions and put a lot of thought into choosing these two books. I was so happy as I flipped through the pages. Then later in the day a really nice dark chocolate bar showed up as an afterthought. Now that really spoke to another of my passions. So I was nicely taken care of on Valentine’s Day and all he got was a bought card.

Should I feel guilty? Probably. Instead of agreeing with me, David in his wonderful approach to things said, “Let’s just share the books and the chocolate.” That pretty much captures the essence of why I married this guy.