“The heart gets quiet when it gets listened to.” ~ author unknown
Whether to impress, reassure, or simply shout it from the rooftops, 52% of us will honor Valentine’s Day by spending, on average, a whopping $192 on gifts.
In fact, about 30% of us will spend so much that we end up with credit card debt given the prices of such items as…
- A dozen red roses: average cost, $88. (224 million are grown just for the 14th).
- A Valentine’s box of chocolates: average cost, $55.
Blame grand English poet and author Geoffrey Chaucer for starting all this with his 1375 poem, “Parliament of Fowls,” and the line, “For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day when every bird comes there to choose his mate.”
Yup! Reminds me of the 1990 Ella Fitzgerald song, “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love,” that opens with:
“Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love…”
So, are you, like Grey’s Anatomy’s Chief of Surgery Dr. Richard Weber who one day asked, “What’s wrong with a day devoted to the person you love?”
Apparently, a whole lot, as I quickly found out. A sampling:
- “You think I have money to throw away to prove I care about someone? I’m not Hallmark!”
- “It was always expensive, but this year it’s even worse than last year! Who has money to spend on a dozen roses, when I can barely buy a dozen eggs?”
- “All those sweets when he knows I’m trying to lose weight…” (Expletives followed.)
- “God, I hate those roses. I pour in that white powdery stuff, stick ‘em in a vase, and watch them die.”
- “Restaurants double the prices, so I made dinner last year and got blasted for it.”
- “Every year, I have to go bigger. Enough, already!”
Then there’s the 47% unattached, 117 million+ singles among us. Think they need reminding? I decided not to find out…
Instead and given all the different ways we love and no matter who matters to you, I give you with this from poet/writer Margaret Walker:
“Love stretches your heart and makes you big inside.”
~ Yes, and with heart-felt thanks, Carol