Happy Valentines Day....meh

Although I'm not a big fan of Valentines day....at least not yet. I do like this story/exchange I read. I've probably posted or shared this before but dah well I'll do so again. It's Wednesday the 12th of February. It's early evening. Margret and I are sitting in the living room. Margret has asked me to do something the following day. Mil: 'I can't, I'm afraid. I'm going into town.' Margret: 'Why? What do you need to go to town for?' Mil: 'Oh, I have to get some stuff. Margret: 'What stuff?' Mil: 'Just some stuff... things.' Margret: 'What things?' Mil: 'Various things.' Margret: 'What things?' Mil: 'What does it matter?' Margret: 'What things?' Mil: 'It's not important what specific things, is it? I have to get things or I wouldn't be cycling into town, would I? All that's relevant here is that I have to go, not the details of the individual items I need to get - there's no point wasting time giving you a big list, when the only significant point is that I need to go to town.' Margret: 'What things?' Mil: 'Oh, for Christ's sake... Pizzas. I need to buy some pizzas, OK?' Margret: 'We've got pizzas.' Mil: 'We've got a pizza.' Margret: 'So? How many do you need?' Mil: 'Several. I want to have several in the fridge.' Margret: 'Why?' Mil: 'So that we have a stock of them.' Margret: 'Why?' Mil: 'So that we don't run out, obviously.' Margret: 'What would happen if we ran out?' Mil: 'I'd have to go to town.' This flings itself out of my mouth while my higher brain is still racing along behind it frantically waving its arms and shouting, 'Wait! Wait!' Margret responds with just the tiniest movement of her eyebrows. Absolutely minuscule. Sufficient in size, however, to make me wonder if I could get a UN resolution to have her bombed. Mil: 'I have to get other things too.' Margret: 'What things?' Mil: 'What the bloody hell does it matter? Why can't I go to town if I want to, for God's sake?' Margret: 'Why are you being secretive? What are you up to?' Mil: 'I'm not up to anything.' Margret: 'Yes you are.' Mil: 'Like what?' Margret: 'I don't know.' Mil: 'Because there isn't anything.' Margret: 'Yes there is - I can tell.' Mil: 'There isn't.' Margret: 'You bloody liar.' Mil: 'You bloody mad woman.' Margret: 'Tell me.' Mil: 'Stop talking now.' Margret: 'Tell me.' Mil: 'I...' Margret: 'Tell me.' I think we've both risen to our feet by this point (it allows for better voice projection). Mil: 'OK! OK! You want to know why I need to go up town, you relentless harridan?!' Margret: ''Yes! You lying swine!' Mil: 'So I can get your Valentine's Day card! So I can get your bloody Valentine's Day card and post it to here - so it'll arrive as a nice surprise through the post!' A tiny flicker. It's the merest stutter of hesitation, though, then she's back on track before the beat is really lost. Margret: 'You don't need to get me a bloody Valentine's Day card!' (I can't imagine what makes her think she's going to get away with this move - she must be getting old.) Mil: 'Too bad! Because I'm getting you a Valentine's Day card! And I'm posting it to you! Tomorrow! When I go to town!' Margret: 'THERE'S NO BLOODY NEED!' Mil: 'WELL IT'S GOING TO BLOODY HAPPEN - GET USED TO IT!' And, indeed, I do go to town, buy her a card, and post it. Inside I write, 'Surprise!' She gets it on Valentine's Day and says, 'Thank you,' to me, through gritted teeth. (She gets me one too, by the way - it reads, "I'm not interested in a nice, normal relationship... I like ours better.") Odysseus and Penelope? Pah - lightweights.

The flaw that wasn't.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not o n the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house." Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. ps. I hope I didn't come across as sarcastic in my previous post. I didn't mean to. I was just feeling tired. And I appreciate the input. In the end though.....its like too many chefs spoil the broth. Eat a mint chocolate, then drinking cold water...feels good :P hmm.....except all the chocolate is finished now... :S Here's a little song I wrote, You might want to sing it note for note, Don't worry, be happy.