When I was younger, Valentine’s Day was one of the worst days possible of the entire year. When I had girlfriends, I’d usually be dumped either on Valentine’s Day or the day before. I broke my foot on Valentine’s Day.
Another year, I was hit by a car while on my bicycle in Westwood, California. The driver offered me a Valentine’s Day chocolate. One year I had the mumps. The next year I had my tonsils out. Another year, I had my wisdom teeth pulled — and I was one of those who swelled. When I lived in West Hollywood and was out for Valentine’s Day with someone not so special, I got food poisoning.
Have you ever had hepatitis? Not fun. And it’s worse on Valentines’ Day when you are in the hospital with your dad and a lot of young school girls (much of the Air Base I lived at in Alaska had hepatitis from an infected water supply — thanks USAF) who wanted to do the Valentine’s thing.
One Valentine’s Day, I had flown to Berlin to give a speech but all my bags had been lost — so keynoted the evening to quite a number of octogenarians in jeans and a black long sleeved t-shirt. For Berlin, it was OK — but no matter how much I said it wasn’t my fault, I got these grim looks of disdain from the audience.
Until my current significant other wouldn’t allow it anymore, I used to stay home and take the phone off the hook.
Now, in recent years I’ve slowly been coaxed out of my cave on Valentine’s Day — but then I just saw this ad of the Hug-E-Gram. I really worry for this country.
And I just want you to know that I found this ad which you must see to believe. . .on what day? On Valentine’s Day.
Hope you and yours are having a good one, despite my trepidation for this day.
— Steve Clemons
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