Barefoot on Valentine's Day

I love a reason to celebrate. And "love" is so worth celebrating!   

  Valentine's Day started with a run in the dark of pre-morning.

Followed by pink, heart-shaped biscuits.

 CJ literally ran to her preschool because she couldn't wait for the breakfast Valentine's Day party.

Tman left the house with his homemade cards made on army green paper with a hand-drawn jail on each (I decided to just let it go, though I'm sure there's some deep 9-year-old boy message here.) 

Meya was so very proud of her pink and purple stenciled cards.

I had a quick subbing gig at the Middle School. 

Traffic was terrible - so with just 20 minutes until the start of my class and stuck in standstill traffic, I did the only thing I could: 

I got out of the car, took off my sky-high shoes, and ran.

Margono, my driver, was unphased as I jumped out of the car - it's not the first time I've bailed in bad traffic.

However, it WAS a first to go barefoot.

Local Indonesians waved or laughed.

I wasn't embarrassed - I was in too much of a hurry.

I remember thinking, "As long as I don't step on glass or in something worm-infested, I'll be okay."

The asphalt and cement was warm. Grit. Sand. Rust-colored clay.

I made it on time.

Here's a picture of my dirty foot. I selected the far-away shot, since the close-up was a bit too gross. 

I stopped by the High School English department at lunch to deliver some cookies. We shared our favorite literary passages about love. My favorites: 

Tina quoted Sylvia Plath's poem about her unborn child "You're":

wrapped up in yourself like a spool. 

 And Yuchiro shared his favorite passage from "Gargoyle": I believe in your love for me. I believe in my love for you. I believe that every remaining beat of my heart belongs to you, and I believe that when I finally leave this world, my last breath will carry your name. I believe that my final word--Marianne--will be all I need to know that my life was good and full and worthy, and I believe that our love will last forever.

 (Really, how cool are these people? I LOVE my fellow English teachers!)

I arrived home and after taking the foot picture and washing my feet (twice), I made our traditional family Valentine's Day dinner - because this is one way I love to show my love.

Marinated flank steak.

Mashed potatoes and thin green beans.

Homemade rolls shaped into hearts (Leasie and I experimented with shapes and they turned out beautifully).

And my favorite: dark chocolate brownies cut into heart shapes with raspberry sauce. 

We ate by candlelight and celebrated.

 

And we talked about everything and nothing. The ordinary stuff that I know I will look back on as sublime. And so I tried to cherish each word.

I was surrounded by the best of my life.

I looked at my husband across the table and smiled.

I told my "barefoot" adventure, and we laughed together between bites of edible love. 

Happy Valentine's Day
(With truly very little editing - it really was a wonderful day.)