Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine Belles

A QUICK NOTE TO MY BELOVED:  Don't panic.  You do a fantastic job.

Valentine’s Day.  I don’t disagree with the dead horse argument that the day was invented by greeting card companies, candy makers, florists and jewelers as just another way to cash in à la Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, Boss’s Day, Secretaries’ Day and one I only recently learned about:  Grandparents’ Day.  Stop the fliberty-gibbeting insanity!  

As a personal rule, I don’t see much point in celebrating a day that the North Carolina Court System doesn’t deem important enough to close in homage of.  If I get the day off, I will most happily and heartily celebrate whatever the reason is.  Shallow, I know, but my waters only run deep in parts.

I have to admit that I am more unsettled than average when it comes to the notion of Valentine’s Day.  The traditional practice of honoring someone you love and making them feel special should at least ring dim in the memories of Southern Belles out there.  Why?  Because it’s what we deserve Every.  Single.  Day.

We are not ornaments—although we are stunning.  We aren’t taken down from the shelf and dusted off for use when someone needs us to smile pretty and cook like Paula Deen.  Some of us can’t cook and none of us smile if we don’t feel like it.  For your own safety, trust me and don’t try out this hypothesis.   

We have opinions and—gasp—they may not match your opinions and that’s okay.  Why?  Because we are well bred enough to respect your point of view and we damned well demand the same in return.  We also have enough gray matter in between our ears to know that we aren’t going to change your opinions any more than you can change ours, so politely agree to disagree and move the hell on.  Stop poking the stick at the snake.

We are not invisible.  If you don’t believe me, ask the Charlotte Neiman Marcus for the January 14th security footage of the woman running around in the shoe section like she’d found her own personal Mecca.  After that, do me a favor and burn it.

We love our families with a fierceness you don’t want to test.  We will get out the acrylic “fighting nails” at the first sign of trouble and may God save your soul if you are in the way.  We shoot first and there’s rarely enough left to ask questions of later.  We can only hope that we are loved as fiercely in return.     

We are human and we occasionally make mistakes.  That’s all that needs to be said on the subject.

Now, we certainly don’t expect flowers, candy, jewelry or a barber shop quartet (please God, no) every day.  That would be absurd and, believe it or not, tiresome.  Well...maybe not the jewelry part...but never mind.  We would simply like to hear that we are loved, honored and appreciated on days that aren’t February 14th because we're Southern Belles and we deserve it.

In case you were wondering, we love and appreciate you, too.  xoxo

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