Monday is Valentine’s Day, ladies and fellas!
I’m sure you’ve been racking your brain on the perfect gift to get your special someone. Only a couple of more days to do that until you realize that you’ve only got two more days left and just buy some flowers and treats! Just kidding!
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with staples like flowers and jewelry. Since my girlfriend is the daughter of a long-time florist, I’m beginning to understand the impressive workload and planning that comes with that industry and she, of course, supports it when she can.
I did too recently when Wyndi had a few bad days in a row. Realizing she needed a pick-me-up after a pretty melancholy text, I called up her local florist and had a bouquet delivered to her office, trying to find an arrangement she would really appreciate.
The smile on her face when we got home assured me it was well-received, and the arrangement stayed blooming for a couple of weeks before she finally admitted it was time to take it out.
Shortly after giving her the flowers, I cashed in the biggest gift she got me for Christmas: tickets to the Dallas Summer Musicals performance of the Broadway musical, ‘Hadestown.’
Yes, I’m a man who really likes musicals. I’ll leave a line below so you can easily find your place after you’re done laughing and want to continue.
Better? Good.
I had noticed the play coming to Dallas right as the pandemic started and so did Wyndi.
When I opened the package, I realized that she had followed the pages for months through a rescheduled performance and the pre-booking that was only open to season ticket holders. She had been checking often to ensure she could get them for me since I already had the cast recording and like the music.
For those that aren’t familiar with the play, it is a retelling of the Greek tragedies of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, accompanied by early 20th-century jazz music performed by band members and cast on the stage while the play is performed.
Our performance was right in the midst of the last COVID spike and we had to jump through some hoops in downtown Dallas driving and running a couple of blocks from a satellite parking lot. We sat down at around 7:25 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show and they don’t let you in after the curtain rises.
As I fought to catch my breath under the required facemask, I reminded myself how much care and patience Wyndi had to show to try to give me a special experience.
I told myself that I wouldn’t let on how frustrated I was with the evening even if the experience wasn’t worth it.
Two minutes into the first song, I was already impressed by several Tony winners and stage veterans in the cast. Seeing the play brought so much depth and the skills of the dancers and musicians were well worth the headache of navigating downtown Dallas.
I told her the next days (and meant it) that the experience was one of the all-time best gifts I’ve ever received.
She went out of her way to get me something unique that I didn’t even really know I wanted that badly.
By the end of the night, we only have a couple of pics of an empty stage and a selfie (photos aren’t allowed during a performance) and the playbills as keepsakes of the night.
Likewise, Wyndi was left with an empty vase after the flowers died.
The gifts leave something better though. We have memories of someone special to us making sure we knew that they cared.
Memories like these sustain people through bad days and strengthen the bonds of those involved.
If you’re getting someone a gift for Valentine’s Day, just make sure it reminds them you care. As long as that comes through, the gift will be perfect regardless of what it is.
Paul Gaudette is the managing editor at the Dublin Citizen and can be reached at 445-2515 and publisher@dublincitizen.com.