A Heartfelt Lesson

Early yesterday morning I had what Oprah Winfrey calls an “AH-HA!” moment. Sadly, it’s taken half a century plus a few years for this moment to arrive and it has to do with the concept of being romantic. It all began Saturday evening while driving to WDVR’s "Heartland’s Hayride."

My husband and I were listening to The Road Less Travelled (Saturday's 4-6 p.m.) with Melba Toast. No, that’s not her real name. Her real name is Melissa. We tuned in towards the end of her show, which she’d dedicated to Valentine’s Day, when she told radio listeners about the romantic thing her husband had done. He bought her her own domain name because she’s in the process of building her website.

At first, I didn’t think that was romantic. But then, early yesterday morning, I let my feeble little brain out of its box to explore the concept of being romantic. Like music or art or anything else that comprises an individual’s world, we all have different definitions of what constitutes, in this case, being romantic.

It isn’t about flowers, candy, cards, jewelry or expensive dinners. Here’s where I might offend some and I apologize in advance.

Being romantic, especially on Valentine’s Day, is not (necessarily) about those things mentioned above. Flowers wilt and die, candy is eaten, cards are thrown away or shoved into the back recesses of a drawer. The jewelry, well, that has a longer shelf life and expensive dinners are lovely and memorable but again are short lived.

What I might find not even remotely romantic someone else obviously will. That’s all right because that’s what makes us individuals. But Melissa, and her husband, taught me the true meaning of being romantic.

Simply put, it’s all about knowing your loved one, female or male, so well that you know what will make them happy whether it’s Valentine’s Day, their birthday or any other day. This isn’t brain surgery or rocket science.

I am not against cards, flowers, candy, jewelry or expensive dinners, but society and the industries that produce them have conditioned us into believing this is what Valentine’s Day is all about. Call me cynical or jaded but I’m tired of the same old, same old.

What Melissa’s husband did was romantic and seeing his gift through her eyes made me realize this is what being romantic truly means.

Thank you Melissa, and your husband, for opening my eyes; it is a lesson I will not forget.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Namaste
Chris