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| Sweet Mr. T sent me gorgeous fleurs in Cactus Land! |
First, Happy Stupid Love Day/Happy Valentine's/Happy Singles Awareness Day to all you dear ones. Last year I penned my general thoughts on the "high holy holiday of love," and now I'm thinking instead about how to maintain the smooshy love stuff all year long.
As I inscribed one of T's three Valentine's cards (I told you, I keep Hallmark in business), I got to thinking about the reasons I love the guy. Of course, instead of inventing new ones, I went to my handy-dandy Moleskin mini-journal that I carry around periodically. Along with reminders, grocery lists, and diary entries, I keep a log of all the reasons why I love Mr. T, and it was really fun to take a trip down memory lane when writing his card.
I started the list in the Fall of 2008, although I didn't start regularly adding dates until 2009. There are months of gaps, not because I don't find new reasons to love the man, but because I lose the damn thing periodically. What I like best is remembering the specific things we've laughed at, the new words we've invented or special moments that seem so important for awhile but are soon forgotten.
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T sent me roses and I sent him gourmet hot sauce
because I read online that chilis are an aphrodisiac.
I think I win this year. :)
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For instance, in addition to the general things I love about the man like his attention to detail, the way he proselytizes about flying and his impeccable research capabilities, I've noted the day he explained 4-stroke engines to me as if I understood, the way he gets excited about museum airplane engines like a little kid with a puppy, and when he made "super pasta casseroid" two years ago which consisted of leftover greenbeans, spaghetti sauce, spaghetti, tortellini, cheese, beans and various other items baked at 350 for however long. I wrote down the day he joined "spacebook," when he encouraged me not to "settle" for PhD programs I didn't really want to go to, and when he memorized the Jack in the Box mini-sirloin burger song. There are so many other items that I could tell you but they wouldn't make any sense at all. Like why towels and grout and ducks are so funny to us. But as T once told me, he kind of delights that our love can't really be explained. (It does amuse me that our kids or great-grandkids will find these journals and wonder what we were smoking at the time. Nothing, I assure you!)
I tell you all these things not only to celebrate my sweetheart on this big ol' day-o-love, but to say that it's easy to remember these smooshy love things all year. Just keep a list and check it occasionally. Even when we're pissed off at each other, I can look at this list and realize I have 750 more reasons to love him than I have to be angry. And it helps.
I wonder, what types of commemorating activities do you do all year long to keep the love alive?
xoxo!
shawna
Labels: fleurs, holidays, love and stuff, Marriage, Mr. T, romance
