In February, thoughts turn to Cupid, romance, and love. Valentine's Day has become a huge holiday in the US, and it only seems to be getting bigger each year. Weeks before February 14, we are inundated with ads for chocolates, flowers, lingerie, romantic getaways, and jewelry. Pictures of teddy bears and roses by the dozen appear all over social media sites. Now, I like romance as much as the next gal, but I'm over it all.
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| Credit:wallbeam.com |
There is so much darn hype about Valentine's day, and I feel like it puts a lot of pressure on people. Gifts are expected to be big shows of affection, proof of how much you love or are loved. I am a 41 year old stay-at-home-mom: I don't need or want fancy jewelry, Lord knows I don't need the chocolate, Trevor knows better than to buy me lingerie, and I am WAY too old to receive a stuffed animal as a gift for any occasion. Don't get me wrong: doing all that jazz for someone is lovely. My point is that I don't need all of the hullabaloo to know how much my husband loves me. Why not, you ask?
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| Credit:therandynator.blogspot.com |
I know Trevor loves me because of things he does for me on ordinary days. Y'all know that I still struggle with fatigue due to my hypothyroidism that no one can seem to regulate. On the days when I feel like I could fall asleep at 4 PM, Trevor is always there to pick up the slack. He takes Lottie to gymnastics, gets my car serviced, and makes laugh when all I want to do is cry. He drives back and forth between Valpo and Lexington without ever complaining because he knows how much it means to me to live close to my family. He listens to all my crazy ideas, hopes and dreams, irrational fears, and long-winded stories with patience and humor. Any sort of curve ball that is thrown our way tends to put me down for the count emotionally, but Trevor deals with blips on the radar with great aplomb. He takes me on lunch dates during the week just so we can spend some time alone together. He's even doing a wacky food cleanse with me for two weeks just so he can be uber-supportive. I mean, this is the guy who thinks Doritos are a food group, so doing a cleanse is quite a step for him. Not a day goes by without that man telling me that I'm smokin' hot, even when I'm returning from a sweaty workout at the Y. That, y'all, is true romance.
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| Butler University 1990 |
Gifts are fantastic, but they're just the icing on the cake. (Icing...yum. Damn this no-sugar cleanse.) Anyway, I have all the cake I could ever want on any given day, not just February 14. I feel like there are so many dudes out there who deserve shout-outs for what they do every day, that the constant little gestures mean more than the more infrequent big ones. So to all y'all, and you know who you are, thank you for making each day easier, funnier, happier, and more full of love. And to my T-Dub, much love, babe.
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| July 2005, shortly before the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
