Valentine's Year

Many readers know I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day.

Why not? Well, let me tell you.

You see, I've been married for 16 years. Once or twice a week I like to bring home fresh flowers; I put them in a vase in Mabel's bathroom to remind her that she is the love of my life, because as the kids say these days, I'm like, all romantic like that.

In other words, I don't need a manufactured occasion to 'show how much I care'.

But as it happened, I was on my way home on this Hallmark Holiday when I stopped by my regular flower shop. For no other reason than it's Valentine's Day, and much to my chagrin, the cost of flowers had tripled. Now that I think about it, the same thing happened during Chinese New Year.

Keep in mind there was no special presentation, nothing unusual, just the same flowers at vastly inflated prices, and as such I refused to buy them. Now before you go calling me a cheapskate, bear in mind that my own dear spouse would have brained me if she knew I'd let myself be mercilessly ripped off. In fact she constantly admonishes me not to spend on flowers when I could be spending on her in Hawaiʻi or Thailand or Bali. She has a point, but I do it anyway.

Meanwhile several fellows were loading up on roses, oblivious of the holiday's murky origins: it possibly began as an ancient Roman festival, was appropriated by the Catholic Church for two martyrs named Valentine, and got watered down over the centuries to become today's saccharine gesture of romance. Maybe they knew they were getting bent in the process, but if they only buy flowers once a year it costs less than my method.

If you're counting in cash. The real currency is love and respect, and in my view buying flowers once a year because it's expected is a net loss. So they can keep Valentine's Day; I want nothing to do with it.

I'd rather get Mabel another set of saltwater pearls during our next trip to Hawaiʻi.

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