Rita Watson/ Providence Journal
With thanks to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Valentine’s Day can become more than just another high-pressure Hallmark holiday. Browning’s Sonnet 43 “How Do I Love Thee?” sets the stage for a Valentine love box.
The idea occurred to me while writing a thank-you note that became a litany. So I put separate notes into one “theme” envelope that inspired the box. Here’s the back story.
When my Sean Connery hero met the moving van and embraced me rather than taking off in the opposite direction — that was my first thank you. But as I looked back on the recent move, I kept adding notations of his unexpected thoughtfulness and decided to create a Valentine memory.
You can do this by taking the time to observe someone you care about and noting the little things he does to make your life more relaxing. Brews coffee in the morning. Changes baby diapers. Reminds you of appointments. Leaves the gas tank filled. Suggests you wear dangling earrings instead of loops when you are too tired to decide and are already late for the party.
Take a day or every day between now and February 14 to count up love expressions rather than become one of the billion who will be buying and exchanging cards created by the industry.
Then find a leather desk box or a simple cigar box to hold meaningful notes. This incurable romantic will buy red paper hearts and on the back of each write a thank you.
Does a Valentine box feel too childish? Good. It should inspire the unabashed child in all of us. The tradition dates back to the 1500s, when young people in France and England gathered around a box in the village square to draw the name of their sweethearts for the year.
And if you really love your guy, let him know in advance that you do not need a 3-pound box of calories or a $75 bunch of long-stemmed red roses. Maybe just one or two and a night filled with love.
Before that evening comes, if you are looking for spice, you and your girlfriends have time to hire a belly dancer or strip tease artist to teach you a few graceful moves.
Love may expose our vulnerabilities, but you can embrace its playful side. As Leo Buscaglia, the author of “Love,” once said: “Love is life. And if you miss love, you miss life.”
Rita Watson, an incurable romantic, is our relationship columnist and regular Journal contributor whose web address is ritawatson.com