Happy Valentine’s Day 2021, World–

The last 24 hours were a bummer. Do you ever have one of those days when it feels like the walls are closing in, you’re on a hamster wheel that’s spinning out of control, and that every step forward equals 20 steps backwards? That was my yesterday, when all my trouble seemed unbearably close. When I finally fell asleep, into the wee hours of the night, my mind and body mercifully clicked on reset. This morning, on Valentine’s Day, it feels like a good time to remind myself what I love about today, the gift that arrives on schedule and without fanfare. The murky gray clouds obscured its typical orange and hot pink glory, but, as always, that fiery ball climbed over the horizon and winked across the snow-washed woodlands. Here now, I give you the 14 Things I Love about Today.

1. Icy landscapes – I woke up this morning to see an icy sidewalk outside of my dining room window that resembles an Olympic skating rink. 

2. Burden-bearing hugs – My husband sat in the quiet of the kitchen, his wire-rimmed glasses on, reading the newspaper. The moment I walked into the room, he stood up, walked over, and gave me a giant, soul-drenching hug.

3. Coffee-filled mug – Every morning, for nearly as long as I’ve been married, my husband has made me coffee. Even when he had to depart the house at 4am for a 6am flight across the country, there sat my coffee mug, always with his signature mix of cream, sugar, and a dollop of molasses.  This morning was like all other previous mornings; my coffee was ready and waiting. It’s the simple, every day traditions, that anchor us. By the way, never ask me how to brew coffee; I don’t know how.

4. Gluten-free waffles with real maple syrup – These fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside dimpled delicacies were homemade by that same handsome guy in the wire-rimmed glasses.

5. My clean office – If you’re going to have a meltdown, you might as well make it a productive one. Last night, when I felt crushed by the disorganization, I funneled that anxiety into a full-fledged purge. I walked in this morning to a clear desktop and organized shelves. Yes!

6. Valentine’s gift bags – As I mentioned previously, I was in a serious funk last night. My husband peeked into my office – in the midst of my fury-inspired purge – multiple times. Wanna go for a walk? No. Wanna go out to dinner together? No. Wanna go get take out? No. Wanna go for a drive? No. Wanna go to Wal-Mart? Okay. I need to make Valentine’s gift bags for my family members who are home. We traipsed through Wal-Mart, bought candy, salty snacks, and cards, and returned home to assemble the bags. Simply stepping outside my house shed a layer of frustration. Picking out favorite candies and locating the ideal Hallmark card pulled away another surly layer. When we got home, I got busy writing cards and packing bags, standing side-by-side at the counter with the husband that always stands by me. Every action for someone else stripped away another layer of crankiness, lifting the weight from my shoulders.

7. My children, who aren’t really children anymore – Time goes so fast. It feels like only five years ago that my white Toyota minivan was stacked with five car seats and booster seats. Going anywhere was an ordeal, often a war over pulling that seat belt over someone’s head or shoulder. My “kids” are now 17-27, with Sean, our youngest, turning 18 on March 13. I seriously just adore my people–and their people. I see a future with sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, and I love it.

8. Valentine’s Card – Back to the Wal-Mart trip. I sheepishly stopped at the end aisle cap bursting with Dear Husband and Dear Wife cards. I picked up a few and read them, admitting out loud, “Don’t look, okay? I haven’t bought you one yet.” While scanning, I found a Wife card that was perfect for me, spelling out love messages in Scrabble letters. I handed it to my husband and teasingly said, “You ought to get me this card.” He’d already bought me one–or so he said–but this morning, when I opened my Valentine’s card, guess which one he gave me? Yep, the Scrabble one–and what he wrote inside my card almost matched exactly what I wrote in his. I love that guy.

9 – 14 – Still to come. It’s only 1:05pm. You don’t expect me to have all 14 things by midday, do you? The hubby and I have dinner reservations at 5pm. We’re eating outside with heaters and hearts filled up with love for each other.