Valentine's Gifts from Left Field

This Valentine’s Day three men surprised me with expressions of their love.

First, the dear son bought me a pair of earrings, though he confessed they had been a “just because” purchase. (He’s good at expressing his feelings; he’s just not too keen on making sure they adhere to a calendar.)

Then, at the end of a long, hard Feb. 13, I was greeted by a priority package tucked behind my screen door. It contained two hand-carved hearts—one of redwood, the other of heartwood—fashioned for me by my friend Roger, a reclusive “desert rat” whom I met almost 17 years ago while he was living in a ghost town south of Death Valley. Roger and I have stayed in touch all these years through snail mail and occasional surprise packages such as this. In his enclosed letter, Roger wrote that he had made two hearts because I am a “doubly special lady.”

And then, yesterday evening, on Valentine’s Day itself, friend and colleague Chris invited me out for coffee. There he surprised me with a metallic-red gift bag with bright red ribbons. “Look inside,” he cajoled. “I’m not sure I can get past the bag,” I replied, captivated by its show-stopping intensity.

Inside were ranch-dip-and-baby-carrot and peanut-butter-and-celery packages from Trader Joe’s. Chris knows my health hurdles preclude chocolate consumption, so he bought me something healthful instead. What a cutie!

Besides being my ally and personal comedian within a generally Machiavellian and humorless workplace, Chris is my good buddy. He’s a fun guy, and, God bless him, he’s real! He got a few sustained hugs for thinking of me on what has often been a challenging day.

So there we have it—love from left field. And what makes this all the more beautiful is that, unlike so many years before, when I was full of listlessness and lamentation due to my “lack” of love, this year I was nearly oblivious to all the fuss. I was at peace with my solitary existence, though, of course, I would jump at the chance of romance. But since it’s not here, I haven’t been wailing over it.

Thanks, guys, for fortifying the smile on my face. I wish you, me and everyone else a bunch of all kinds of love to make it through the rest of the year.