A Valentine’s Day Story

We all handle Valentine’s Day. As with all things, our perspectives change with time. This year, I asked myself, when was my last good Valentine’s Day? What the hell have I been doing all this time? When I searched through old photos and documents I found no evidence of any Valentine’s Day experience. With that in mind, I decided that I needed a day that will make me smile and a story that keeps me asking questions. I needed to create a Valentine’s Day story.

Setting the Mood

To get myself into the Valentine’s Day mindset, I turned to Tarot. I asked the cards what I should do and they returned a King of Pentacles, which I can only describe as ‘spoil the hell out of myself’. When I asked if I should take a day off, I received an Ace of Pentacles, interpreted as take the day off and have an adventure.

Then I decided that I would like to do a Valentine’s Day Tarot spread. Not knowing how or what exactly to do for that, I did a quick search and found a couple of spreads that can be used for single people on the writual planner blog. To set the mood for the day, I started with the relationship spread for single people to influence whether I’d like to invite anyone along.

The results pointed out the obvious. The day is self-focused and intentionally over-indulgent as I’ve determined through an earlier reading wherein I drew an Ace of Pentacles. In love, I fall fast and hard; something to be aware of when I start building new relationships. Long lasting relationships are a thing that I’m particularly good at, because I have plenty to offer. I’ve been hurt a lot and it shows. The fact that I do fall so fast and hard manifests as impatience and I might try to move things faster than they should go. These cards supported the decision to plan to celebrate the day alone. Reversals are consistent in my readings and on that note, as a part of my celebration, I purchased the corrupted tarot deck from Wyrmwood.

Last, but not least, I needed to decided where to go for dinner. Dinner is only natural. With that in mind, I grabbed the February issue of the Shepherd Express and picked the first restaurant mentioned as a romantic place to eat in Milwaukee, Lake Park Bistro.

Switch It Up

I had abandoned more than a few of my favorite things over the past year. Rather than lament over why I hadn’t been doing them, I considered that I might like to pull myself back into them and so made a more than a few changes.

I started with a remembrance. Professionally, I am an information technology expert. I am also an author and an artist. As both, it made sense to return to one of my favorite hobbies and ensure that I continue the habit by renewing and upgrading my membership as an Art Advocate at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In addition to setting myself up with this membership, I answered a call from my heart and for the first time in over a year – I wrote.

For my birthday last year, I got an outline for my first tattoo. Valentine’s Day seemed like a perfect time to complete the work that we started a little over six months ago, so I set an appointment with Jay at True Ink and we completed my Fox and Rose.

Writing the Story

A few days after getting my tattoo finished, it was time to write my Valentines Day story. The day began with a nice breakfast at a local cafe called Grace where I had their Valentine’s Day special strawberry mocha and some avocado toast.

After a nice breakfast, I added a bit of spontaneity to the mix by doing a quick run through the two exhibitions at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; Growing Resistance: Untold Stories of Milwaukee’s Community Guardians and Old Type, New Ways: Work from the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. Gleeful that the gallery will be around through March, I touched base on the works and returned home for a quick change of clothes and to prepare for the remainder of the days events.

As a part of the journey, I decided to grab a glass of wine on the way. As a sipped some sparkling at 2A wine merchants, I realized that I had forgotten to put my favorite perfume on. This led to the fortunate decision to take home a bottle of wine. As the day was to celebrate things I love, I could thing of no better bottle to accompany me home than Astro Bunny; the bottle that reminded me of Piggy Pop – a former quick-pick.

Once the wine was home and the perfume was on, I headed back out again. It was a lovely 20 minute walk along the river and through the park to the Milwaukee Art Museum.

When I arrived at the museum, I made sure to take a selfie before heading in. For the next hour, I revisited some familiar works of art and explored a few of the exhibits. I grabbed a couple of brochures and decided that I didn’t want to carry them along with me to my restaurant. Which prompted me make a purchase at the gift shop. The day was growing cold, I knew and couldn’t think of a better gift to acquire than a hoodie that might help keep me warm in case my jacket was good enough. Once I made my purchase, I began my journey to the Lake Park Bistro restaurant.

I left the museum a little early as I wanted to give myself time to get lost. I’m glad I did. My phone lost sync with the bus application that I was using and I got of two stops too late. This caused me to wander in circles until I was able to find my bearings. As I walked ahead, the weather got a little colder. Anxiously, I searched for the street to take me to the restaurant. Then I learned, that the way to Lake Park Bistro is literally through Lake Park.

I laughed and walked as I thought how fortunate I was to have taken the accidental detour. I got to take yet another stroll in the park before getting into the restaurant. When I got to Lake Park Bistro, I immediately knew what I wanted to order. I too part in the Valentines Day four-course meal and indulged in their wine pairings. I took enjoyment in the ambiance as I ate their delicious meal that paired well with their wines.

When the meal was finished, I paid the bill; sated and happy. I pulled on the hoodie I purchased to combat the cold and wrapped my jacked over it. On the way to the bus stop, I found myself walking in circles once more. “How can I be so lost when the stop is just straight ahead?” I laughed and shook my head. It’s me and it’s something that I’m really good at.

It Shouldn’t End

To finish of the Valentine’s Day story, I had to run the Tarot spread for self-love. I settled in and poured myself a glass of Astro Bunny. As I sipped the wine, I pulled the cards; using my corrupted tarot.

My interpretation of this reading is that I love my own ability to adapt. Others find my tenacity endearing. The best possible thing that I can do for myself is to focus and stay honest. My future self is warning me to stay focused and try not to over think too much. That tends to lead to disappointments and irrational ire. Stay kind and remain focused.

I continued to drink wine as I recalled my experience for the day. There is no reason why this had to be a Valentine’s Day. I simply made it one because I wanted a nice Valentine’s Day story that I hadn’t had in a while.