Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou Romeo

To say Valentine’s Day has become a Holiday would be succumbing to commercialism and all the small and large business enterprises out there. Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with living in a capitalistic society. I definitely believe in every individual’s right to earn a buck and provide for their families and themselves. I do however strongly object to the rampant obviousness of it all.

Before Valentine’s Day became – what is almost – a National Holiday in the U.S. and several other countries love was the stuff of poetry and song. Many a gentleman would woo his loved one with a well penned note, a wildflower plucked from the fields, a tiny box of chocolates, a pair of silk gloves, a meaningful look and a squeeze of the hands. Today, it all gets covered with a combination of ~ an overpriced dinner out at a restaurant that jacks its prices up for V-Day; a selection of cards with cheesy sentiments; drugstore candy boxes; some glitzy heart themed jewelry from mall stores; and of course, the ubiquitous bouquet of red roses. Talk about a money-making machine. Where’s the love, where’s the romance, where’s Romeo?

In my single life pre-Hubs I admit to having a predilection to receiving cards on V-Day. Not that they were necessarily from BF’s ~ in fact, they generally were friends of both sexes. Especially during the single years these cards were a way for my friends to let me know they cared and I loved every minute of it! At heart I have always been a true Commercial-ista ~ I love jewelry, adore flowers, and kill for a good box of dark chocolate truffles. I’ve celebrated V-Day in all sorts of ways ~ from Girls Nights Out to Chick Flick marathons, from romantic rendezvous and candlelit dinners to picnics in the park and walks by the lakefront. I've even had the Un-Valentine celebration with a Horror movie marathon (though I was mostly not watching since I was too busy screaming in terror), take-out Thai food and a long solitary walk with the Dog.

However, my best V-Day to date was actually Feb 12th when the Hubs proposed to me while we were dancing to some old ballad in my living room with the Dog looking at us like we were crazy fools. There was no candlelight, no roses ~ in fact, we were still wearing workout clothes since we'd just come back from taking the Dog for her walk..... but it was the most romantic Valentine I've ever celebrated, with the icing on the cake being when we shared the news with our parents the next day. Romeo? I guess he might be hiding in Suburbia in the guise of the everyman after all ...