On this Valentines Day Eve, I am thinking back, lo those many years, to my elementary school days and how I, along with many, would spend this evening signing and sealing Valentines for my school classmates.
It was one of the highlights of the school year. First, one went to the local 5&10 store to purchase your valentines. One wanted something cool and hip. I remember being drawn to the "Scooby Doo" or "Peanuts" themed valentines.
Even though everyone received a valentine from me, I gave the valentines I thought were the coolest to my friends --- yes, I made valentine value judgements. Keeping it uniformed was key. If you placed a lollipop with one valentine, you, had to place a lollipop with every valentine.
In our personally-decorated, brown paper bags with our name featured prominently, there was no surface, preferential treatment of valentines. Every member of the class received the same number of valentines -- one from each student.
Looking back, there was a comfort in that system. In a world that even then and now wants to rate you on popularity and relationship status, there was a relief in knowing you and all your classmates would each have the same amount of valentines --- everyone was sufficiently covered when it came to expressions of care signed hurriedly, licked closed, addressed with your own name, and stuffed into your own brown, valentines bag.
What would our world be like if we made some small effort to make sure everyone in our community received some tangible reminder that they are a part of something, they matter, we see them?
sj;
You took me back to my childhood. The Valentines of our youth truly did level the playing field and even if I didn't get picked first for the gym class teams, I would get a box full of Valentines. I like the analogy to how it should be in today's world. Very insightful. Thanks! Nice message.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I preceded you by nearly 2 decades, the Valentines event at school was similar, although I remember decorating cereal boxes which made the small pile of Valentines from classmates laying in the bottom much less impressive. No Scoobie Doo in my era, probably Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead, and Little Lulu themed valentines. And, wasn't Murphy's 5 and 10 an awesome place?? I remember stopping by the store on Brownsville Road in Brentwood on my way home from school, maybe once a week, with my coins. Also remember questioning why someone would ever want to buy "Everlasting Toilet Water" - just didn't make any sense!!
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