Making Valentine’s Day Sweet … Without the Sweets

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. Just what every Former Fat Person dreads, yet another foodcentric holiday, which is popularized and marketed by the joint evilness of the food and diet industries.

Think it’s a coincidence that both Thanksgiving and Christmas, where nearly everyone gains 5-10 pounds, is right before New Year’s, when everyone that is a pants size up is now trying desperately to find a quick way to get it off? Or that there’s a choco-holiday immediately after most of us have given up New Year’s goals? I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I’m just sayin’ it’s a wee bit suspicious.

All that aside, I have no problem with indulging in a bit of caramel centered yum, but they tend to come in a ginormous heart shaped box that would bust anyone’s calorie budget. I know that I have never had one of those boxes last more than 2 days, the shortest being 2 hours.

One of my goals right now, is to focus on the meaning behind all the holidays instead of the food we are supposed to be eating during them. In particular, a challenge for Vday is to show our love when my household is comprised of the wife who is watching the calories and a husband who is diabetic. We decided we are going with service centered expressions of the holidays. It also helped that right now my husband, Jarom, has been unemployed for a year and we don’t really have the money for gifts this Valentine’s day.

As far as I’m concerned, Jarom’s going on the Today Show with me and agreeing to be raked over the coals, has filled his Valentine’s quota for the next five years. But I still needed to do something that showed I cared. For me that meant doing something that would mean something to him, but is not on the top of my to do list. Namely, cleaning out the family car.

The inside of our Ford Explorer looks like the garage dumpster from the kids daycare. Wet goldfish crackers are squished into the seat crevices, dollar store toys litter the floor with various discarded bits of trash and clothing. I’m pretty sure that if I let my daughter keep what was in her lunch pail, she would win the science fair.

All the book stuff has been taking up all my time, and I’ve let the car get to the point that it feels like the only way to save the car is to trade it in, or light a match. But more importantly, the state of grossness drives my germaphobe hubby nuts. So, I donned the HAZMAT suit, grabbed a chisel, then went outside in the subfreezing temperatures to make my Valentine to my best friend. 2 hours later, the car is clean and I might have nightmares for weeks. But that is what love and the real meaning of Valentine’s day is. Giving that special someone something that truly costs you. Not the $30 bucks for gourmet chocolates, but costs you something emotionally, physically, or hygienically. LOL

I have to admit, now that it’s done, I feel I’ve given myself a bit of a gift as well. I have another finish to add to my list, one that’s been bugging me for a while now. And my finisher’s medal will be the expression on his face when Jarom realizes there isn’t a crunch when he steps in the car.