A Rosy Day

I admit it--I love Valentine's Day. I enjoy holidays, including birthdays, as a chance to make a day special and different from all the rest. Paul and I are freakishly well-adjusted and take the time and energy make each other feel appreciated every day, so I don't need to read meanings into what he decides to give me, or even whether he gives me anything. I know that sounds smug, but it's really true. I think he's been traumatized in the past, having been "tested" and found wanting when it comes to symbolic gestures. And Lord knows I've been guilty in the past of investing all sorts of meaning, intentional or not, into what kind of thought went into a romantic gift.

For holidays, we "pre-decide" and discuss what we are going to do for gifts. Yes, it removes the elements of surprise and spontaneity, but it also removes the fallout that comes with poor communication. For Valentine's Day, he got chocolates and I made heart-shaped cookies. We both brought flowers (unexpected and sweet, and now we have two bouquets!). I had to work until 8:00, so Paul made dinner, easy poached salmon from Andrew Weil's book that was also the first meal he ever cooked for me. We ate at home by candlelight, had good wine, listened to Sinatra, and went to bed early. ;-)