Be Thankful for What You've Got
A surprising Valentine's Day story
Keeping things short and sweet as I was sick all last week. Being sick is never fun and I’m a big man baby when I am so thankfully I’m on the mend. Last Friday I had to grab last minute Valentine’s gifts (due to said sickness) and the one thing I wanted to get Kyle was Aesop’s brand new scent, Aurner. I walk into the shop and the man working is a friendly, presumably gay man around my age. “I’m looking for your new scent Aurner,” I ask him. “Ah yes, right here, it’s amazing smelling.” Love to hear it. I smell it, we carry on some small talk, and he asks, “Is this for you?”
“No,” I respond, “it’s a Valentine’s Day present for my partner”
“What! That’s so kind! How do I find a good man like you?”
I laugh and say, “I really don’t know. We’ve been together for almost 15 years!”
A beat passes and he tells me, “I had a partner, but he died.”
….
This, dear reader, was not the way I expected this conversation to go. I said the only thing I knew to say, which was, “Oh no, I’m so sorry for your loss!” My brain in this moment felt dull and slow and I was doing all that I could to react appropriately. He responds in what I would consider to be the most European way possible by saying, “Yes, it’s ok, things happen.” Right, things happen. Okay. He finishes up the transaction, emails me my receipt and I’m on my way home. I’m saw this as a reminder from the universe to be thankful for what you’ve got and tell people to love them while you can.
I hope your week is great, lots of links and things to share next week 💙
