It’s Tuesday morning as I put the finishing touches on this newspaper, and although the pressures of the early deadline are normally nerve-wracking I’m unusually calm.
That’s mostly due to the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day, and I’ve already taken care of the things I needed to do to make sure my wife knows that I’m thinking about her on this special day.
Not that she really needs reminding.
Jamie and I work together and raise three children together. We’ve been married for almost a decade and never had a major argument about anything. She knows I love her, and we’ve never been bashful about telling each other when something’s on our minds. That’s probably one of the secrets to not having major disagreements – we tend to deal with small problems before they become big ones.
Valentine’s Day seems kind of silly because you really shouldn’t need a special holiday to show the one you love how you feel. But it’s good for the florists, candy manufacturers and restaurants, and that’s a good thing.
And let’s face it, sometimes even the most thoughtful guys, myself included, need some prompting to do the things that really make our significant others happy.
My biggest shortcoming is that I often forget to tell her how much I appreciate her. Like many men, I tend to think that my actions speak for themselves. I sometimes assume that if I’m showing her how I feel there’s no need to discuss it.
That’s not usually how it works, however, and if you are as slow of a learner as I am, Valentine’s day should probably be expanded into at least a quarterly holiday.
But I got it right today.
I let my better half know that she is beautiful and talented, and that I know I’m blessed to have her in my life.
I didn’t need a holiday to do that, but I guess it didn’t hurt to have a little push in the right direction.
