Valentine's Day Is Coming

Not my favorite day of the year.  So Hallmark-ified; romance as dictated by the calendar and social convention. Himself and I usually exchange cards, but that's about it...it's not a big occasion for us.  For whatever reason, I got to thinking last night about some of the ways that love is shown in my house day-to-day, not just on February 14th.

*He picks the kids up at the gym on his way home from work on Mondays so I can take an evening taekwondo class, even though it means that he is out of the house from 5:15AM to 8PM and doesn't get dinner till 8:30.

*I make sure that we always have burrito-sized soft tortillas and egg whites in the house, since that's his favorite breakfast.

*In winter, he warms up my side of the bed for me so I don't have to get into a cold bed.

*I rub his forehead and that clenched knot he gets at the jawline to help him get to sleep when he's stressed.

*He takes care of putting all fluids into cars and paying the bills.

*I drive to a very remote grocery store every so often to stock up, because it is the only one in the area that carries a kind of soup he likes and his favorite brand of picante sauce.

*He helps to juggle the kids so I can go caching, even though he doesn't see the appeal of that particular activity at all.

*I encourage him to run his weekend-long relay races, even though I don't see the appeal of that activity either.

You know what?  I'd take this over roses and diamonds and an overpriced dinner any day, even though none of it would make much of a commercial on TV.  There's nothing inherently wrong with an annual reminder to appreciate your loved ones, but the gestures that show love and appreciation on days other than February 14th simply mean more to me.