I feel like absolute crap but I will not let this cold get in the way of celebrating with my wife. We’re trying out a new restaurant that she’s been wanting to go to, but that I had been avoidant and dismissive of every time she mentioned it. I’m not opposed to trying new things, quiet the opposite actually, but this is a Venezuelan restaurant and the menu is mostly in Spanish, and the idea of mispronouncing my order or of ordering food who’s description I cannot understand terrifies me.
I feel bad because I didn’t even realize I was doing it until she requested the place for Valentine’s date. I wondered what other things she’s interested in that I might be avoiding or dismissing. I want to be mindful of what I might be denying her in life without even realizing it and work hard to curb that tendency. My fears are no excuse for denying her new expieriences in life.
Dinner was amazing. We had calamari to start with a couple of very tropical cocktails. For dinner I ordered a steak topped with roasted onions and tomatoes with fried plantains, rice, and a fried egg on the side. It was delicious. Dessert wasn’t as impressive. My wife’s tiramisu was still frozen and my rice pudding was a little runny, but all in all I’m happy and even willing to come back.
As for us, we feel as in love as we did yesterday, last year, and ever since we were naïve teenagers unsure of where we were headed and what we were doing but knowing we wanted to figure out together. A holiday doesn’t change that, bring us closer, or remind us of what we have. We never forgot. When every day is a day of love Valentine’s day becomes nothing but an excuse for a shared meal and a couple of drinks.
Lisa Marie Blair 