Tales of a coffee-holic: The gift of love

Diamonds do not mean love and they certainly don’t mean forever. I will never understand why a woman would be excited by receiving an expensive, generic piece of jewelry.

I know that I’m quite different from many women and I don’t blame any lady for her affinity for nice jewelry. This doesn’t change the fact that if I ever received any item covered in diamonds, I would immediately think, “Someone’s gonna rob me for this.”

Although, again, I have no problems with ladies who’d love some flowers and chocolates for Valentine’s Day (to each her own) I can’t help but think the man who buys these cliché gifts for his woman doesn’t know her very well.

I guess it’s nice to have a day to recognize love. I mean we have a day dedicated to stuffing our faces with food (Thanksgiving) and a day dedicated to blowing things up (Independence Day), we might as well have a day for love. But it seems to me if you truly love someone, you’ll find more person-specific ways to show it throughout the year than buying your lady a shiny bauble or getting into some sexy lingerie for your man. The flowers will die, only to signify that most things come to an end, possibly including your relationship. The chocolates will leave you with a sugar rush followed by a sleepy depression full of regret at how those chocolates will affect your waistline soon to be displayed in that lingerie. A piece of jewelry picked out by your husband might be just what you wanted. On the other hand, you might have to endure wearing something you’re really not so fond of as not to hurt his feelings.

It’s the thought that counts, after all.

I remember years of jealousy when other teenage girls received deliveries of roses and balloons to school. Now, I would be appalled if someone bought flowers for me. What’s the point of a balloon, anyway? Who decided that a really hard rock means you feel deeply for someone? Here, honey I got you a piece of compressed carbon, isn’t it beautiful?

If you really love someone, you should be showing it through your daily interactions with that person. One day a year of sappy talk and mindless gifts will not make up for a year of inattention or failure to say how you really feel.

Diamonds and chocolates do not mean love. Love means patience with your significant other’s not so desirable habits. It means listening to their problems when you’ve got enough of your own to worry about. It isn’t about dressing up and putting on a show for the others in a restaurant for one night a year.

I have no idea how chocolate and flowers got all tied into love. Love is about what you do for the people you care about every day, when nothing is expected and you can’t cop out and buy obvious, easily available gifts.