“OLD BOOTS AND SUCCULENTS.” This is what Valentine’s Day means to me.
I know what you are thinking. Where are the chocolates and red roses? What’s up with the Old Boot and Succulent pics?
I’ve been thinking a lot about Valentine’s Day for a few days, knowing it was approaching and naturally, most of my thoughts revolved around my 48 year old marriage to the love of my life; my husband, John. But Valentine’s Day is about more than romantic love I believe. Why should those without a loving spouse or partner miss out on receiving love on this world wide recognized ‘Day of Love?’
Today, I want to share my love to friends and family members and tell them how special they are to me and how much I appreciate them hanging around through the good times and the bad. All relationships are difficult to maintain at times. All have their ups and downs and it most definitely takes two willing participants to work together in order to maintain or cultivate loving and healthy relationships.
Life is not a bed of roses and even if it was, someone would have to painstakingly remove every sharp thorn to create a fragrant, silky smooth mattress to lay down on. With that in mind, I take a long and reflective look at these photos of an old boot and haphazard arrangement of succulents.
What do you see when you look at the first image? Is it the tired but comfortable looking boot, a wooden heart, or the succulents? Perhaps, if you are artistically inclined, you will see it as a novel collective piece; a unique and interesting creation.
This is what I see. I have received many Valentine gifts from my husband but most of them have not been given to me on ‘Valentines’ Day. Very unorthodox you may think. But our method of celebrating this special occasion is much more meaningful because, two years from celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary, (spoken like the proud teenage bride that I was,) we’ve worked out that our deep appreciation for each other simply cannot be confined to just one day of the year. We celebrate Valentines Day’s often throughout the year.
We’re very aware of how commercialism has eroded the true sentiments of the most celebrated and recognized milestones in our lives. There have been many times over the years when we simply did not have the means to be extravagant with presents, but this has not diminished our ability to celebrate every present-less occasion with joy and love.
Therein lies the key to the longevity of our abiding relationship. LOVE. Oh.....I am so aware that LOVE is a HUGE subject. So, what is my brief interpretation of love? I believe that True Love is all about the act of giving. Love is an action word and if it survives the first flush of romance, and the incredible high of Being In Love, it has a good chance of lasting into our eventide years. During the early stage of a relationship when our emotions carry us on a bubble of excitement it is easy to return the love you are receiving. But the act of giving when reality eventually hits and the humdrum of coping with the stresses of life inevitably push romance aside, is on a much higher level than what we experience during those halcion days of the relationship.
Giving when it is a sacrifice to do so, is the ultimate act of Love in my opinion. I’m not talking about giving beyond our means or giving to get something in return. I see a lot of self-love on a regular basis. I see people choosing partners because the one they choose makes them look more attractive or more powerful. I see ‘lovers’ boasting about their over-the-top gifts from their spouses or partners on FB etc.
In this regard, I’m not referring to the occasional, genuine, appreciation of a gift that one values greatly. I’m talking about an obsessive need to show the world often that they possess expensive, high end branded items, hoping to evoke jealousy in others. I believe those people may be starved of true love and my heart goes out to them. Love and happiness appear to be the most sought-after emotions which people seek and long for. They do everything in their power to obtain happiness or love, and sometimes in their quest to reach this desirable state, compromise decent values and ethics. Love is most definitely something you receive from others but unless it is given away with unselfish motives and received in the same manner, happiness may always remain just out of reach. If we can change our focus on how to make sure the special people in our lives are happy and loved above our very real need to be loved, that’s when those gifts are returned to us in full measure.
I look at this tired, much worn, comfortable old boot and for me, it represents the kind of love I am truly blessed to share with John. Our love has lasted long, and it has served us well. It has survived some very prickly and uncomfortable situations and that’s what those succulents represent for me. A mature and lasting love is one that alternates in experience between the comfortable and the very uncomfortable.
But what supports that love? The sum of what is in our hearts. Not the superfluous, nor a bunch of accumulated things. Or even our own individual achievements, because unless we can share those achievements which have been made possible by the sacrifice of the other, they don’t mean an awful lot. The solid, deeply textured, perfectly shaped wooden heart, which is propping up that old boot filled with prickly succulents is the vital ingredient.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! Thank you for the love and support I receive from you every day. I love you all!
I leave you with the best description of love that I know.
“Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud.
It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered.
It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Source: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV Version.
I love the beauty of succulents in a container garden. I really enjoyed this post. You and your husband have been married a long time! Wow! You have a lovely way of thinking about your marriage and Valentines Day and love. Commercial holidays really don't mean much and focusing on love year round is more important.
Hello @marxrab Many thanks for your visit and for taking the time to read this post. Yes, 48 years is along time but it really only feels like half that time. I think if we need external reminders to show our love then we need to re-assess why we are together or what should be done to re-ignite that love 💖
I do so love succulents! I am not a very commercial person, but, on social media, I will put up the Happy Valentine's Day memorabilia -but I love your post.
What did you get married when you were 10? ❤️
I am for doing throughout the year because what good does it do to celebrate on one day and forsake the whole year?
I’m very happy to receive a visit from the Queen of Romance on Valentines Day and I’m not surprised to hear that you agree with my sentiments about not obliging retail outlets by making a big fuss of a loving relationship on a certain day of the year to boost their sales. You do make me laugh........I wasn’t 10 when I got married but very young going by today’s standards. I don’t regret it and both John and I have enjoyed a close relationship with our 3 sons by not only being young parents but being able to do stuff with them because we had the energy to do so.
Beautiful picture! Youre right, Valentines doesnt have to be all red and roses.
Almost 50 years together is amazing!
I havent been married that long but we also dont confine our appreciation for each other to just one day of the year :) eventhough valentines day is a nice and good reason for a nice celebration :)
Thanks for sharing your artistic valentines point of view through this picture @trudeehunter❤🤗
Many thanks for your thoughtful response to this blog @cooknbake. I hope your Valentine’s Day is very special......and I do agree with you. It is a nice and good reason for a celebration. I’m happy you enjoyed my post and I look forward to keeping I touch. Hugs 🤗💖
Happy Valentine’s Day @trudeehunter! A beautiful post and wise words. I enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day with my husband (only 3.5 years married!) but completely agree on the importance of the year round deeper connection in a relationship signified by the heart and what’s in it. Thanks for sharing and I wish you and your husband many more happy years together ❤️
Thank you so much for your genuine words of appreciation. I wish you and your husband a very Happy Valentines Day too @freewheel I’m so glad you enjoyed reading my thoughts in this post and send you a hug for your kind wishes. 💖
True that about Valentine's Day. My husband and I think that it's way too commercialized. Happy to have stumbled upon your blog. Following you now and hope you can follow me back. I'm new to steemit and I need more friends, for sure :)
Welcome to Steemit @joselyn-ism Thank you kindly for your visit. I hope you enjoy this amazing journey.
You're welcome, @trudeehunter!
Well Ms Hunter you have been very busy since we last me back in the TSU days. Gkad you came back into my Life. What a beautiful old boot 😁 Happy Valentine's day my old Mate 😎😁
I have been busy Mr. Andy . I’m enjoying my retirement years immensely and am finding there are just not enough hours in the day to do all I want to........so that’s a good problem to have. How is your garden going?🍅🌽🌶 Have an awesome Valentines Day yourself and I look forward to keeping in touch.
This is so beautiful, and so very very true! The was a time in my young, foolish mind, that 'comfort' meant 'boredom', but with age, comes wisdom (hopefully:), and I now adore comfort...much like your boot, and the love you and John are so thankful to have. It is absolutely beautiful!
To leave such genuine comments in this post (in particular) with the challenges you and your husband are facing at the moment proves to me that you have a heart of gold Lynn. Sincere thanks for taking the time to visit and give me encouragement, is truly appreciated.
You are welcome...and thank you! I swore from the beginning that the cancer may eventually take him(we actually had a nice day out!), but it's not going to take our love, my smile and joy of living. I'll be damned if I let it change who I am, because it's the only control I have in all of this:) Thanks for noticing!
I’m very glad to hear you and Brian had a good day Lynn. Your attitude is one of the keys to your strength. You can’t and shouldn’t fight inevitable emotions but they will not effect your attitude. 💐