Valentines...

Hello Lovers!

Happy Valentines Day!! I hope that wherever you are in the world, you're surrounded by someone you love (be that a romance, friendship or family) and are enjoying this highly commercial celebration of L.O.V.E.

Working in a Florist, Valentines Day is the busiest day of the year for us and if you asked almost anyone in the industry, they're all likely to say it's also their least favourite! After days of preparation and stress, Valentines can often be tainted for us flower ladies and by the end of the day, we're unfortunately completely over it!

One of the things I love most about working Valentines Day though, is the unique insight into love and relationships through the eyes of our very diverse customers. Each year, one of my jobs is to write the message cards for each order and as the day progresses, I find my faith in love and the 'good guys' slowly being restored.

I am reminded of the fact that there are truly romantic men out there who love and respect their wives, girlfriends and partners in the way that we only ever seem to see in Hollywood movies. Sure, there is the large portion of men who buy flowers simply because they a) feel obligated; b) know that if they don't, their partners will resent them for it; and c) feel the pressure to conform to the commercialism of Valentines. However, I am here to tell you that there is also a large portion of men who order flowers for no other reason than to simply say "I Love You". They're the one's who know what flowers their partners like and dislike, the ones who have thought long and hard about the message they want on their card and the ones who ring and order prior to the 14th February, because they're not only organised, but actually remembered. Yes ladies, these kinds of men really do exist!

Now, I'm the first to admit that I'm a sucker for romance, but Valentine's Day to me just seems so corny. I want to be surprised with a bunch of flowers that AREN'T roses on an ordinary day- just because. I want to go out for a nice dinner or a movie on a week day- just because. And I want a heartfelt "I Love You" when I'm in a t-shirt and wearing no makeup- just because.

So what does a single gal who's worked a 12 hour day and is covered in pollen and flower stains do on Valentines Day? She spends it with one of her favourite people in the world- Ms CR (a fellow florist, hopeless romantic, foodie and number 1 movie partner). As we sat in the restaurant, eating the same meal and drinking the same drink (it was just one of those days), I had fond memories of a scene from the Sex and the City movie in which Miranda and Carrie- both single and dateless on Valentines, choose to be each others partners for the night...

On the topic of Sex and the City, listed on one of my favourite blogs today was this quote from Carrie that I absolutely love and thought was worth sharing under the romantic circumstances of Valentines...

"Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself,. And if you can find someone to love the you, you love, well, that's just fabulous."

To cap off a long and hectic day, dinner last night was followed by a viewing of The Vow in a cinema full of women sobbing and men wondering why the hell they were there! It was perfect.

And in other news, each year the ladies and I at the florist hold a competition for the best Valentines Day cad message. Here was this years winner. Simple. Poignant. Beautiful.

"Beyond the ugliness in this world, is the incredible beauty of love and friendship- that is where I live." - Anonymous