That’s what I think of, when I think of Valentine’s Day.  Remember that scene from The Rose?  Bette Midler playing a Joplin-esque character, breaking down on stage as she tries to croak out Let Me Call You Sweetheart.  That and the fact that St. Valentine is the patron saint of epilepsy.  Ya caught me, a true romantic.  I’m also allergic to roses.

Husband is away, so we won’t be doing our normal Valentine’s Day celebrations.  Oh wait, we don’t normally do anything.  I don’t think we ever have done anything special for VD.  We just aren’t that couple, never were.  We’re both bad at stuff like that, cards, remembering specific dates, anniversaries.  How many years are we married, Husband?  I think it’s 43,000 years, but I could be off by a year or two.  We’ve known each other for-ev-er, were friends for a long long time before anything else.

I think without getting into the realm of the spiritual, after my insane devotion to my children, I believe in the healing and strengthening powers of friendship more than anything else on earth.  Friendship can come from our significant others, siblings, children, parents, classmates, workmates, online, any of the many places we humans interact. I’m very lucky to have some wonderful friends in my life, and wish that everyone could say they have at least two great, long-term friends.

Too many people are out there feeling they are alone, and “holidays” like this one seem to magnify those feelings of loneliness.

So it feels fine for Husband to be off doing his thing on Valentine’s Day, and for me to not-celebrate by having Fatigue over for Friday Night Madness.  Because…friendship.  In honor of low days, snowstorms, downwardly mobile lives and overly commercialized holidays, I decided comfort food is in order for tonight.

That’s right, mac n cheese.  My version of macaroni and cheese involves whatever cheeses I happen to have in the fridge.

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Feel free to come join us at the cyber table, Fringelings, I’ve even got a few beers on the terrace.  Happy Valentine’s Day.