02.14.09

Valentine’s day is coming up with less hype than usual. For sure, there will be florists and restaurants scrambling to capitalize on one of the few days in a year that they can do really well. I’ve learned not to be embittered about it (see last year’s Valentine’s entry) and just avoid the rush rather than lament endlessly about the 100% inflation on flowers and food that will occur for one day only.

I’ve decided to spend time internalizing what Valentine’s Day means to me instead, and take stock on the years I’ve spent with my one and only Valentine. This year will be extra special for us. We’ve celebrated our last boyfriend-girlfriend anniversary last December, and will be celebrating our last Valentines day as an unmarried couple this year. Many of our Valentine’s days are spent like an ordinary day is, and for the first half of our relationship, we actually did the flowers and dinner date thing that most couples do for the heck of it. Last year, I told D not to send me flowers and save the money instead. We went to one of our favorite restaurants instead (which thankfully did not serve Valentine specials that I find limiting and expensive). This year we’re doing something different but which some people will be very surprised to hear, since it doesn’t seem like something I and D would do or like, but cheesy and corny as it is, its one thing that the both of us share, and in a life that’s shared among two people, I suppose that is what really counts at the end.

Looking back, I realize that for some peculiar reason, God brought two extremely different people together. But in a deeper sense, I suppose that we are also two very like individuals as well. D is an introvert, a classic INTJ personality, whereas I am the complete mirror opposite- an ESFJ. But the “J” in both our personalities, grounds us to be passionate about the values we believe in. We both LOVE to shop and can spend hours shopping. But I shop at the mall for clothes, accessories and the like, while D’s mall is his trusty old laptop where he shops for the best businesses to invest in. We both cannot live without books, which is why our extensive collection can create a mini library in the future. My books are composed of fiction, rare literary finds, memoirs, poetry and some philosophical ones. His are those that are written by great people that range from the inspirational to the instructive, to finance and fitness. We both love our dogs to bits (even if he won’t admit it) but my dog is a cute medium sized Shiba Inu, while his is a misunderstood German Shepherd. D and I also are deeply committed to God, and strive to be better Christians, though he would rather do it quietly while strengthening himself with the Word, whereas I find myself committing myself more to acts of worship and service. The list goes on and on…

Right now, I feel blessed at the symmetry our lives have created together. Other couples lead completely different his and hers lives, but here we are trying to incorporate as much of our lives as we can to our relationship. Because of D, I’ve taken up running and have loved it ever since. I’ve started reading John Templeton and now think he is the most astute investor and spiritual advisor of his time. Because of me, D has been more adventurous to his food preferences and has been more engaging as an individual. We have now started buying common things like books and gadgets, thinking it more wise and practical. We even have shared friends in the sense that his friends have become as dear to me as mine have to him. There is beauty in sharing, as there is in loving, but what is most beautiful is the purpose of our being together, and for that I am grateful.