I Heart Valentine’s!

I love Valentine’s Day. Seriously.

I guess it’s not the getting so much as it is the giving. As a romantic adult, I take great pleasure in doing for my beloved, myself, and others. – and because there aren’t many expectations, anything revealed was a special surprise.

As a kid, this was a day for me to “set the scene” and craft to my hearts content. I loved the little designer boxes we had to make for class or the large heart shaped pockets we hung from the front of our desks. I felt like Charlotte in Pushing Daises, the surrealism of colors and attitudes -at least mine anyway. I’d help out the kids less fortunate in the “arts area” and make suggestions as to how to be ‘one with the scissors, glue, & paper.’ If I was done with mine, I’d even help them.

Like the ominous Santa, I would look up into the corners of the classroom waiting for Cupid to make his appearance, shooting his darts into unsuspecting hearts. I’m just glad hunting season was closer to Thanksgiving -I would not want to associate… ugh, never mind.

Alas, I was always the perfectionist adding glitter in a variety of ways, shapes, & colors, trying to smear the glue clean from inside the  edges as an indelible testament to cupid. Additionally, I always made sure to have a crush on a guy in the class after the first of the year, so I could make my intentions known: I wanted a really cool, thoughtful Valentine in my heart pocket. Of course, I never said anything aloud because then if the lad never delivered, I could keep my disappointment to myself. Since, I’ve learned to take risks.

Valentines Are Like Fortune Cookies
The Valentine displayed in this entry by Penny Arrowood was given to me last night. The Multi Media Guild had a Valentine’s Day swap and while I didn’t feel I had time to provide friends with little ATCs (read: I was too tired to translate ATC = Valentine!) I decided to invite folks to send me their snail mail addy and I would provide them mailart, one of my favorite addictions that rarely gets fed.

Upon that announcement, Penny asked me to choose a number: 9 or 10. She had two little treasures tucked into glassine envelopes that reveal hints of sweetness. I akinned the choosing of numbers to DVD roulette that Andrew and I play. I chose #10.

Typically, I keep the Valentine to myself, but Penny pondered aloud the curiosity of the paired word inside the pachet. So, immediately, I had to open mine to learn what my pachet fortune revealed: Match. Instantly, Match.com sprang to mind where Andrew and I met online 8 years ago. For me, this small treasure serves as a sweet fortune with a word that is resounding within our life -I love that!

Upon my return home, I gave the Valentine to Andrew explaining to him the exchange. The word Match met his Scobbit heart with warmth, too. Thank you, Penny!