Sweet Valentine

2.13.2008


Today was a rough day at work.

And really, if I was smart, I would be doing more work right now, but I am far too excited about my new blog so my "home work" will have to wait!

So I get home today and there was a little pink envelope with my name on it in the mailbasket which is very exciting, in and of itself, because getting ANYTHING in the mail that isn't a bill or a notice from the San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic is cause for general excitement and anticipation.  The return address was, of course, from my mother because I receive no other mail than bills, notices from the San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic and notes/packages from my mother.  This doesn't diminish my excitement, however, because 1) my mom generally sends wonderful things in the mail and 2) she has been my Valentine for the past twenty-two years and, as Valentine's Day is tomorrow, this envelope must be cause for even greater excitement than I originally anticipated!  Plus, like I said, it was a rough day at work, so even a pink envelope in the mailbasket cheers me up a bit.

So I open it.  It's a lovely card from my sweet giver of life - "You know that I love you...", "I've been given a wonderful daughter...", "perfect time to celebrate all that you've been and all that you are...", etc. etc.  Heart-wrenching stuff really.  And with this sugary sweet token of motherly love, she includes a $50 gift certificate to a certain Steakhouse which happens to be my favorite restaurant of all time.

This is fantastic on so many levels - 1) work was rough, remember? 2) this is not a bill/ticket 3) the envelope is pink 4) i love the $5 macaroni and cheese at said Steakhouse, so this gift card is worth, like, 10 trips.  Lots of reasons to be grateful, including the obvious reason that I have the World's Best Mom, but I can't help feeling a little sad...

Last year on Valentine's Day, my mom sent me a package - a box! - filled with red and pink goodies.  A couple years before that it was a Dooney & Bourke purse - for those of you who don't remember the D&B brand circa '04, that was a pretty pricey gift for a V-Day present.  So it occurred to me as I looked at my two cards (from Hallmark & Outback), that maybe I was growing up and mom wasn't going to shell out the big bucks to be my Valentine anymore. (SIDENOTE: I am in NO way saying that $50 is not a lot of money, just not compared to the dough mom used to shell out for V-Day.)  It occurred to me that I am 23 years old, living on my own in San Francisco, in a legitimate relationship with a Significant Other and my mom isn't going to shower me with flowers, chocolate-covered strawberries and purses, but rather just make sure that I am fed...which is kind of depressing and (fighting against my will to be a well-adjusted, young adult woman) made me a little melancholy for the days when mom used to buy my love (I kid, I kid).

So the moral of the story is multi-faceted:
  • I still have the World's Best Mom
  • I love food, therefore I love my gift card (and my mom!)
  • My Significant Other will have to step up to the plate and buy me a purse and lots of other red and pink goodies for Valentine's Day*
  • My life is still splendid, really

*Again, I kid.

1 comments:

BB said...

Welcome to blogging. I can tell yours is going to be a fab read! :D