Participation is Voluntary

Valentines Day should be like a floating holiday at work, honor it (and take the day off) if you wish, or just pretend it's any other Thursday if it's not your thing, or your year for it. Like Martin Luther King Day or Yom Kippur.

There have definitely been years where I loathed Valentine's Day, abhorring every mention of it along with the campaign of jewelry store ads that hit television and radio. (Even today the "every kiss begins with Kay" jingle makes me cringe and I grab for the dial to change the station before the ad comes to its sing-songy finale.)

I don't think we'll be doing anything super special this year. Jason is heartily suspicious when I mention things like, 'It's our one month anniversary!' or 'It's our first Valentine's Day being married!' insisting that we can't roll out the red carpet for every 'first.' (Whenever he says this I furitively try to kick the figurative carpet I had actually began unfurling back into the closet. No parade today.)

But maybe I can coax Mr. Grumpypants into a little celebration for Valentine's Day. (A sidenote is that Jason would rebut here that I have been Little Miss Crankypants all this week. I got all excited about our going on a last minute weekend ski trip with some friends because a member of their party canceled. A perfect, pre-Valentines fun weekend trip, ensconced in a cozy little chalet in Wisconsin. I outfitted us with some basic ski gear at a bargain price by combing the racks of our local Marshall's and sporting goods store. But then got a TEXT message that the canceling person was back in, and we were out. I spent Sunday glumly making retail returns of gear. There was much pouting. So Jason took me to a local Mexican place where we shared fried ice cream.)

Of course, Valentine's Day next week will still be just another workaday Thursday. For me, it will unfortunately start with a 9 am meeting with three different VP's, with diametrically opposed points of view. I joked with my boss that I'd bring Dunkin' Donuts glazed with pink icing and red sprinkles, and those grade school valentine's cards for everyone to remind them that it's a day focused on love. They'd probably just think I was up to no good and entrench their opposing points of view.

If you are celebrating, Flickr's desktop wallpaper group has some v. whimsical, modern and/or heart-warming wallpapers that fit Thursday's mood.
My current desktop photo is at the top of this post. (Valentine's Day can be about remembering the love for your hometown, just as much as it can be about loving someone else.)