It's Tuesday, February 13, the day before my least favorite holiday. Lucky for me, Coleen feels the same way.
Up to 10" of snow is expected in Boston, so schools were canceled the night prior—our first Snow Day. Today is also trash and recycling pickup day on my street, but instead of putting out the bins the night before, I went to fill up my gas can for the snowblower, aka the beast. (I got a little carried away when I purchased the snowblower years ago.) I'm not worried, though, because my office window overlooks the street, and I know I will catch them in time if they actually show up.
But I slept in. I took advantage of the snow day with no meals to prepare for Sean and no early morning calls. On the other hand, Coleen woke up at her normal time, even though she was working from home. Seeing that the neighbors had their bins out, she geared up and put ours out, but first, she had to move the beast, which was solidly in her path. Then, after the bins were out, she saw an alert on Facebook saying trash would be pushed back a day, so she had to move the beast again to get the bins back into the garage.
"Why didn't you just wake me up?"
"Because it was your snow day, too," Coleen says.
She gets me. She really does. The story doesn't change my view of Valentine's Day. I never liked it. In elementary school, we had to give cards to everyone in the class. It was always a last-minute, stress-filled experience on Beers Ave. Plus, I thought it was silly, to be honest. Even when I was older and wanted to give someone a card, flowers, or chocolate, it still felt awkward.
"Every day is Valentine's Day." That's my standard greeting on the morning of February 14, and this year would be no different.
This date on the calendar isn't marked or highlighted, but now more than ever, I am mindful of how lucky I am to have someone like Coleen in my life. For the past 27 years, she's handled my ADHD like a pro, navigating my highs and lows, gently nudging me back on course when needed, and accepting my various quirks, the seemingly limitless volume of possibility spewing from my brain, and, yes, my many limitations.
She's awesome, and I'd be lost without her.
This is also why I am breaking my tradition of not giving gifts on Valentine's Day this year. I didn't go out and actually purchase a gift, but I am gifting her the first-of-its-kind U Ar Au Sm tee shirt, just released by Josh Peach and his Be Au Sm brand. Ok, in full disclosure, I make the shirts for Josh...but the point is, there's nobody more worthy of this inaugural shirt than Coleen. I just coincidentally happened to be showing my appreciation on Valentine's Day--and because she was kind enough to let me sleep in.
The storm was a dud. We only got two inches of wet snow instead of ten. The photo above is from a past storm.
But I still got my snow day.
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