As I was watching The Bachelor on Valentines Day Eve, I took a moment to judge myself and think about how cheesy I was.
I need to confess, I love The Bachelor. I find it so over the top, that for me, it is entertaining and incredibly relaxing. Whenever I can set aside some viewing time, I get out my teapot and blanket and I’m ready to indulge in all those things that are unique to The Bachelor.
I never tire of hearing the same expressions over and over and over again – “take a leap of faith” or “open up” or “be vulnerable” or “taking our relationship to the next level”. And I’m always amazed to see that everyone is in love with this guy.
But then again, a friend of mine just confessed “I could fall in love with an Umpa Lumpa if I was on that show doing all those amazing things.”
I also love to hear the endless analogies between these incredible dates and how activities such as climbing a bridge or jumping out of an airplane, can relate to a relationship in some way. Like if I jumped out of an airplane, then that would mean I am a courageous person in life and willing to “take a chance on love.”
I took a huge “leap of faith” with my husband, when I moved from my family, friends and country to live in the US. We haven’t literally jumped out of anything together, but we seem to be doing ok in spite of this.
Valentines Day can be just as cheesy – the red roses, the restaurant reservations, chocolates, love notes, teddy bears and the pressure to do something “special” that day. I never know whether to celebrate or be a cynic. But most of the time we do something fun together.
This year something different happened.
I dropped over to my friends house a week before Valentines Day, and her little 7 year old happened to be making her Valentines Day gifts. Together we stuck love stickers, ate conversation hearts, talked about all the kids in her class and I even answered some grueling questions about my first kiss and my best Valentines Day. This was new for me, when I was growing up in Australia, Valentine’s Day was a romantic day for couples, we didn’t make valentines cards for classmates or friends, unless, of course, we had some secret admiration for someone.
It was so nice to watch her making love hearts and writing messages for everyone in her class (not just specific people) and I got a sense of little people sharing the love around to all of their peers… it was a genuine Valentines Day experience.
When my husband came home yesterday afternoon with a handful of yellow (Cooei yellow) roses in his hand, admittedly it made me happy to think he got something thoughtful for me. But as I reached my hand out to grab the beautiful bunch, he shook his head and wouldn’t let me touch them. He then removed one single rose and took a deep breath… I wondered what on earth he was about to say. It felt like a proposal moment. Then he stood very tall, starring intently into my eyes, taking a very long silence before saying “Brooke, will you accept this rose”. We both laughed, as he was clearly making fun of me.
So now I am reflecting on what I learnt from my little friend and my husband. Celebrating love is important and there’s nothing wrong with being cheesy every now and then. xoxo
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