The Worst Valentine Gift

I'd dated Mike for several years, so this wasn't an instance of not being familiar with my preferences. Honestly, I am really quite easy to please and appreciate gifts, especially those given with thought behind them. I am so sentimental. That, much more than cost, is what touches my heart the most. Hndmade gifts or cards, anything as long as it's given with honest, loving consideration. However, sometimes there can just a little too much good intention.

I guess I have to give Mike some credit, there was definitely some thought behind the gifts he gave me for what ended up being our last Valentine's Day together (that wasn't the catalyst, we just grew apart). He was a good guy, and really touched me with some sweet gestures in the time we spent together. Like after I mentioned once that I would get my ears pierced if I ever got a pair of diamond earrings, he gave them to me for my 35th birthday. I had to overcome my extreme dislike of needles; it was a traumatic event to get the piercings, but I still think of how thoughtful that was every time I wear them.

Unfortunately, I'd put on a bit of weight due to aging beyond 30 and some medication I was taking at the time. Maybe I should have seen it coming when he gave me a "low fat" cookbook for Christmas.

Here's some advice to the lovelorn, however. A romantic Valentine's gift is not a too-small Lycra workout outfit and a "Lite" Milky Way bar. (I don't believe they still make those. Good.) It brought tears to my eyes, but they were not happy ones. Ouch. Thanks, boyfriend, for the not-so-subtle hint to lose weight.

I'm sure there's a moral to this story, and I can certainly understand the angst involved in picking out the "perfect" gift, especially for Valentine's Day. I think the poor guys, especially, are under the gun. Give me anything lovingly and with affection, and I would be happy (this is coming from someone who's been nobody's Valentine for the better part of her adult life). However, a gift pointedly acknowledging a disadvantage or fault such as a weight issue...probably not a good idea.

In retrospect, it's pretty funny now, but I certainly did not appreciate it at the time. What did I do? Well, I returned that damned outfit to Target, went to Victoria's Secret and got myself a sexy little black silk ensemble. Much more flattering. I still have it.