Happy Valentines Day!
A shout out to public school --- that wonderful experiment where the farmer’s kid and the professor’s kid and the steelworkers kid and the surgeon’s kid all attended the same school and on or around Valentines Day they, and each kid in the classroom, got a Valentine stuffed in their self-decorated brown bag from everyone of their classmates! Some kids even attached those heart-shaped, red lollipops to their Scooby-Doo Valentines. I believe they went on to hold political offices.
Remember the awkward Jr. High years and you were thankful your mother made sure you had a Valentine and even baked heart-shaped sugar cookies to help sugar-away the “I wish I had my Valentine’s brown paper bag to put over my head” twink-riddled blues of early adolescence?
Then you go through the hard, calloused, cynical years and you attend Anti-Valentine parties and play games like: “Who can name the most co-dependent love song?” The winner from my experience was Trisha Yearwood’s “How Do I Live?” Go ahead and google the lyrics….tell me if you agree…..aack!
We grow up, have experiences, find ourselves and are able to define love using more than the sentiments stamped onto those pastel candy hearts and look back and ponder.
Did you reflect on high school days and wonder about the why and the meaning (not about Algebra 1) behind the rituals of love and dating? Admittedly, not a frequent participant, can anyone explain the silver halves worn by adolescent couples? It was a half a heart, the sides jagged and sharp with, one comes to find out, a Biblical verse printed on it which was from the Book of Ruth and referenced a daughter-in-law’s love for her mother-in-law...go figure!
Why did girl’s wrap the class rings of said beaus in that colorful yarn...was it angora? I understand the reason was so the ring would fit on her finger, yet, why use that furry, bright yarn? I thought she had some special affinity for her Persian cat.
What was the point of the girls whom were dating members of the high school football team wearing their jerseys on the day of the big game? Does anyone see these rituals as some sort of ownership sticker and claim slip that girls, in need to display the “I have a boyfriend” affirmation stamp, too eagerly participated? Of course, I never did any of that….probably because I was never asked….yet…..still…...really?
The latest fad from Paris sweeping the nests of love birds, is the locks on bridges. Here is a photo I took from one of the many bridges in Pittsburgh:
The concept is couples buy a lock; may or may not write their initials or names on the lock; go to the bridge of their choosing (and there are many to pick from in Pittsburgh); confess their lasting love; lock the lock; and throw the key into the river below. What does it symbolize if one of the many over-sized carps in the rivers eat tossed key?
I don't know. I blame the French.
Happy Valentines Day! Have some chocolate……...
ahhhh love.... I had the pleasure of being in a dollar store this week where little ones were picking out the Valentine's to take to school and I really got a kick out of it. A mom asked each of her two boys how many students are in their classrooms so she'd know how many cards to buy. The 5th grader answered "21" and the little one...likely in kindergarden or so and wanting to buy lots of Valentines, said "91, mom!" And mom said, "There aren't 91 kids in your class, either." They were only to be outdone by the dad shopping with three little ones who was about to rip his hair out as he helped them to get their Valentines. It got loud and included crying by little girls who ran off in different directions, thus causing dad to lose his place in the busy check-out line which led to an adult tantrum.... Yes, it brought back distant memories.... It's a bright and cheery day that comes in the depths of a cold, dark time of year...none colder or darker than this year. Thank you for the memories. I took a lot of the couples stuff that happened in school for granted and never considered the "why" any of it happened. Fast forward to 2014. The discussion on my radio station this week was, "Will you be texting your ex on Valentine's Day?" The times they have a changed.... Thanks for a great blog. As always.
ReplyDeleteYour post really took me back, and as you know, much further back than you. I dated a football player (and I mean date in the loosest sense of the word; he didn't believe that football and girls mixed). Anyway, my emblem of our status as a dating couple was a new, shiny football spike hanging on a chain around my neck - just thought I'd share what was "romantic" back in the "60's" - we were "spiked!"
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