I’m Tracey and I am a hopeless romantic…
As a youngster [ and then as not such a youngster] I loved a good romantic film – Dirty Dancing, Brief Encounter, The Way We Were … to name a few. I was also addicted to Dawsons Creek, the TV series not the wine!
I was a Joey and Pacey fan. I always found Dawson,as blokes go,a bit wet.
It portrayed young love so whimsically yet as I learnt it wasn’t remotely like that in reality ?! Not mine anyway.
Nobody ever crawled through my window late at night … you know just to lie next to me and talk because they couldn’t wait until the next day at school.
My dad would have strung them up for one…
Saying that… I actually did have somebody crawl through my window late at night once but only because I’d come home pissed,fell asleep and locked my brother out of the house. His small and flexible friend [ I think his nick-name was quite appropriately Monkey man] had to shimmy the wall and seeing my bedroom window was slightly a jar crawled through. Giving me a major heart attack in the process.
Nobody ever said anything remotely like this to me…
“Shes so beautiful that when you look at her your knees tremble, your heart melts and you know, without reservation, that there is order and meaning to the universe”
PACEY WITTER, “Cinderella Story” (2000)
Mine was more along these lines …
“You’re alreight you are, shall we grab some chips and cheese and maybe a cheeky snog?”
RANDOM BLOKE , Isabellas Night Club (2000)
Everything about me screams I should love Valentines Day but I don’t…
The actual story of St Valentines is in itself is quite heart-warming .
St Valentine was a priest who married couples in secret as Emperor Claudius didn’t agree with marriage. He thought it made his soldiers soft. Valentine got caught and was imprisoned. He befriended one of the guards daughters and they formed a lovely friendship spending hours together just talking. On the day of his execution [ 14 February 269 A.D ] he slipped a note to the guard to give to his daughter. In it he thanked her for her friendship and signed it ‘from your valentine‘ … and hence the tradition of sending somebody a love letter started … or so the story goes.
Despite that heart-warming story I still find Valentines all a bit naff. Forced. When somebody tells me I have to do something romantic, I find I don’t want too.
Isn’t romance all about being in the moment…not a preconceived one?
If I wanted to tell my BF I love him [which I often do anyway] and buy him a shit gift I will do so on the date of my choice; NOT when advertisers and retailers dictate. Like most things these days its thrust in our face weeks before the actual event with the shops full of over-priced roses, teddy bears and other ‘crap’.
Restaurants put on ‘special’ menus for the event. Special menus that cost twice what they normally would? Restaurants that usher you in and out like it’s a regimental maneuver.
We didn’t make ‘Valentines Day Wishlists’ back in the day, we were just glad if we got a chuffing card.
I’m sure Valentines didn’t use to be as commercialized… but then I suppose neither were Halloween or Easter . It was all about the thrill of getting a card from a secret admirer.[which transpired was usually my mum]
I realize [I sound scarily like my dad] I’m coming across like a grumpy old spoil sport but when did we become so greedy? Whats so romantic about gifting somebody a gift on the day we are told we should ?
It begs the question – Is somebody who receives a big expensive pressie loved anymore than the person who just gets a card…than the person who doesn’t even receive a card at all?
No.
Love takes on many forms and maybe for you Valentines works and that’s ok. Go enjoy…
For me it just doesn’t and that’s o.k too.
Wouldn’t it be far more romantic if your partner spontaneously pulled out a bunch of red roses and declared he loved you on a dull November morning when you least expected it?
I think so.
See I really am a hopeless romantic… Dawson would be proud.
Do you celebrate valentines?
Do you think I’m a miserable old git…I’d love to hear just be nice!
Until next time , Tracey x