Having a big bond and car debit orders reduce the joy of pay day to a withering memory in the relentless scorching of working to facilitate these payments.
Being expectant parents have brought about changes to insurance, wills, banks and phone usage. In the quest to save a few rands we are met with a smorgasbords of special public dates that increase "the man's" revenue and our deficit.
Being married absolves one almost from going all out on the "sacred" day because I already won the heart of the beautiful woman I pursued many years ago, however, water-cooler talk regarding "what have you planned" always leaves one a bit condemned if its met with "we don't do valentines day".
Between the responsibility of maintaining a budget and the mixed feeling of condemnation and or conviction regarding your lack of effort on this single day(which is not so single because there is anniversaries, birthday, get out of trouble-day, because I want to day) to show the person who is perfect for you in every way that she is valued, cared for and appreciated.
We have never really done anything over valentines day, but I have seen the power of an unexpected gift at an unexpected(if you don't give over a long period it becomes unexpected) time.
Tomorrow i'll give my wife a love letter, the sort which I used to write when I weighed less than a 100 kg's. I'm going to recreate a Bobby Flay recipe that will remind her of the days we used to sample the finest restaurants in Cape Town(Salt etc) and we will drink non alcoholic Champagne to celebrate the new season we will be entering very soon.
We will laugh together, reminisce about the time we went to France, talk about the our work, with expectation wonder how our baby girl will look one day and it will be a glorious evening in the company of the only women i desire.
We're not doing anything for Valentine's day, but I'm really looking forward to it.
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