Sunday, February 27, 2011

V-Day Joke On Me!
















In part, this was a better Valentine's Day because with working now, there was a little money for some V-Day treats, purchased the day after for half-price of course, but none-the-less treats for the boys. And it is nice to have a bit of spending money to afford seasonal luxuries once in a while.

At the grocery store sifting through the bags of left over candy, I came across this amazing card by the Palmer candy company and immediately got it for me. Because I thought I had found an actual card made for a person to give to themselves! After all, the front of the card had the words, "To Me..." on it. I liked that the card had a cat on it and then inside there was a ball of yarn. I will admit I was a little confused because there was a "To/From" inside. But I didn't let that deter me from buying myself the card.

I thought it was a brilliant idea. Perfect for people like me - a middle-aged widow not receiving many gifts throughout the year. I have posted about this topic a number of times. How widowhood finds you lacking in the gift department. So why not have a line of cards and gifts we single people can give to ourselves on special days? I remained excited that an actual big company out there had figured all this out and would lead/pave the way for other companies like Hallmark to follow.

I was so happy about this card I brought it with me to a concert my son performed at this week to show my girlfriend during intermission. She is a teacher and just laughed when she saw my card. She reminisced that one of her young students gave her this same card many years ago! She had to kindly explain to me that I had misread the card wording so to speak. I had put the emphasis on the word "To." But if you put the emphasis on the word "Me," there is a whole different meaning! So the card ended up not being one for someone to give to themselves after all.

Well, this is all pretty funny to me in retrospect now. I am still glad I got myself the card because I think this is a darn good idea that someone out there should latch onto - gifts and cards that can be purchased for individuals to give to themselves. Who else is going to tell us we're great, fabulous or fantastic unless it is us when we're experiencing the single life. It felt so empowering for me to get myself an actual Valentine for myself (even the day after) with a positive sentiment on it.

I know that in actuality, there are more people together than there are singles so this isn't probably a profitable idea. And that some would say, just go buy yourself a gift, that it doesn't need to say specific words for it to be meaningful. But there was something special about finding (or thinking I'd found) an actual Valentine to give to myself from myself that was fun while it lasted!

8 comments:

  1. I love that you did this for yourself.

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  2. That is pretty funny, but you're right, there's definitely an un-filled market niche out there.

    I buy flowers to put on my desk at work sometimes--not big rose bouquets or anything, but the bunches of flowers you can get at Trader Joe's--and it's funny how many people will ask "Oooh! Who are those from?" as if the only way to get flowers is to wait for someone to give them to you. The heck with that!

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  3. Vanessa - I think it is great that you get the flowers for yourself. I need to start doing that too. I like your "The heck with that" attitude!

    Boo - I need to start doing more than little cards discounted at half price and go for some bigger ticket items - maybe a short weekend away, inexpensive piece of jewelry, etc.

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  4. I love this card and think it should be taken just as you saw it. I am like Vanessa, I buy myself flowers, just because I love fresh flowers and I want to give a gift to ME! I also hit the 1/2 price after sale -- more goodies for me! And yes, you should think about more significant "goodies" for youself. I went away by myself for a long weekend a couple of summers ago, and it was the best thing I did. I hope to do it again soon.

    Much love!

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  5. Beth - I do not buy myself flowers because I think their beauty would be wasted in my living space. It is always so cluttered and messy with the boys' huge athletic shoes scattered about and homework notebooks, unopened mail - you get the picture. But maybe my home needs those flowers more than ever to counteract the clutter! I should get the flowers, then sit down next to them with my little individual bottle of wine poured into a cup because I can't locate a proper wine glass and really plan out where I can take myself on a solo weekend! And soon!

    Where did you go? Anyplace special? I'm thinking for me a little resort type town with a lot of antique shops, nice place to eat a good meal and a homey/relaxed atmosphere - I'm not the athletic type so no ski resorts but a fire to sit in front of read/knit would be pretty amazing right now!

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  6. Hi:

    You definitely need to buy yourself flowers, with the little bottle of wine, -- who needs a cup, take a swig, :D!!!

    Where did I go for my weekend? I went to a place called The Cove, located in the NC mountains. It was built by the Billy Graham Association for group retreats and seminars. They have now opened it for individuals to get away and enjoy quiet and the beautiful mountains. No phones, no TV, just nature and God. The price included all meals (delicious)and the room. It was a wonderful experience, got to meet some really special people, yet, I was able to just to my own thing. Those who worked/volunteered there made each one of us feel very welcome and loved. I mostly took nature walks and sat on their huge deck looking at the mountains. It was wonderfully relaxing and I felt as if I were a million miles away for life. Magnificent!!!

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  7. Beth - Thank you for sharing where you went. I am looking for a "spiritual retreat type" place in the Midwest and think I found one in Indiana. I'll keep you posted but like you, my destination would not include any tv (cell phone ok because of kids) and has to emphasize God and nature. Also, knitting, good food, an antique store or too and reading!

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