By Sue Murphy
For Christmas, my sister gave me a box of plastic straws. I may have mentioned to her that I was frustrated by the sporadic outage of long straws at Starbucks. Okay, I may have harped on that fact repeatedly. The short straws don’t reach the bottom of the vat of green iced tea I get in the drive thru almost daily, and the off-again-on-again availability was making me cranky. Now, however, thanks to my sister’s kind intervention. there is no need for me to worry. I have a plentiful stash of my own.
As a last-minute add-on for my daughter’s birthday, I wrapped up a citrus zester because she had, on occasion, griped about her old one. And now – Happy Birthday! – the problem was solved. She smiled a great big smile and said, “You listened!”
So, here’s what I’m thinking: while you’re pondering what to get your special someone for Valentine’s Day, (You are pondering already, aren’t you?), consider that, while your sweetie might indeed want flowers and candy (and I’d buy those regardless), you will get extra honey bunny points if you get him/her something that would make his/her life a little easier.
Receiving a box of straws might not seem like a big thing, but to me, it was. We all have less-than-perfect encounters that eat at us day after day. Right now, my nemesis is my TV remote. It works, yes, but it seems like every week it makes me jump through an additional hoop. Now, the only way to get to the guide screen is to push the Help button and wait the extra few seconds while the machine makes the adjustment. I can do it, but it grates on me.
Maybe your sweetheart’s cheese grater isn’t so great. Maybe the pepper grinder is doing more chunking than grinding. Maybe her sock drawer is sticking, but the only time she thinks about it is when she is rushing around in the morning, trying to get dressed, and by the time she actually has a moment to wax the darned thing, she’s forgotten about it. Here is where you can step in and be the Valentine’s Day hero.
I know, I know, people have told you not to buy practical things as gifts, and I understand the confusion, because you have to be very careful going down this path. You must dodge the temptation to buy your love something that you think they need. This is called Self-Improvement Initiated By Others, and it will only get you into trouble. Your Sugar Bear might really like those old ratty slippers. That faded Hawaiian shirt might have sentimental value. If you replace them, that’s a judgment, not a gift. And do not, under any circumstances (I cannot stress this strongly enough) take a one-time comment about intending to go on a diet as an invitation to sign your sweetie up for Jenny Craig.
No, for it to be a gift, the item should address an issue that is causing your sweetie continual inconvenience. Squeaky door hinges, washing machines that dance across the laundry room floor, and my personal favorite: when the light switch operates as “on” in the downward position – all of these things could be secretly rectified and – voila – Happy Valentine’s Day!
Pay attention and the answer will appear. Actually, the paying attention part is the real gift. Your sweetie will thank you for the candy and flowers, but if you buy her a box of long straws (or a new TV remote) she will smile and say, “You were listening!”
