For reasons that are too painful for me to get into, Valentine’s Day had always been important to me, and it isn’t that I no longer care about it, but I have noticed an interesting lessening of it as a symbol. That, no doubt, is because as I have noted on this blog before, I am married to one of the most wonderful men in the world. Not that we don’t have spats, and those can sometimes escalate into heated discussions, but never anything that we can’t resolve quickly. Twenty-five years of marriage though doesn’t remotely mean that romance isn’t important; it’s that we have plenty of those moments that don’t need to be confined to special occasions. Restaurants tend to get a little crazy on Valentine’s Day and we do, after all, have poolside dining with Tiki torches to be lit in our own back yard. That, and a lovely bottle of wine or champagne does make for a very nice setting. Actually though, if I can get this one project completed this morning, as I hope to, there might be a waterfront lunch involved down in Key Largo as we go in search of a cabinet maker for a custom piece that we need.

And despite more than two decades now of marriage, I do still remember those Valentine’s Days when I wondered if I was ever going to find the proverbial Mr. Right, and the times when I decided that if I didn’t, it was okay. Valentine’s Day has that effect on women, and so for my friends and readers out there who maybe aren’t thrilled when this day comes around, I would say to try and let it wash over you. Love most assuredly can find you later in life and after making more than one mistake in the relationship department. And if it should be that it doesn’t, finding the fulfillment you need with other things in life can work, too.