Aquarius

February has always been a great month for me.  And so far it has need been soured by any of the negative dates and months that hang over my head at this point in my life. 

Growing up having a birthday in February was a blessing and a curse.  It was always cold and weather-dependent, but at the same time you were still in school and everyone treated you special on that day.  So from a young age, I have always loved that month.  Then it rolls into Valentine's day, which, although not a big holiday for us, is still a romantic excuse to do fun stuff.  Add to that that we got married in February because it was our reading week during university.  

That makes February the trifecta for me: Birthday, Valentine's Day, Anniversary.  With the advent of Facebook, this month became a constant barrage of well-wishers reminding me that they were happy I was still alive at such an advanced age, that Cheryl and I could still be romantic, and that Cheryl had still stuck with me through another year.  I used to enjoy this attention in my younger years as validation of the path we were on, but now I find most of it rings empty and false and I have limited my interaction with social media and anyone who reaches out to me through that venue.  But I digress.

February continued to be a strong month for me once Cheryl planned our first trip south in 2003.  Bitten by the travel bug, February was a natural fit for a travel month and we could pool our resources and commit my birthday budget with our valentines day and anniversary budget which would cover some of the cost of the extravagance.  This turned out to be an investment into us which is still paying dividends today.  

So many of our memories from 30-45 took place in February.  So many trips down to Mexico, Dominican, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados. Building memories and doing crazy things with our friends in a foreign country where we were anonymous.  Re-connecting to who Cheryl and I are as a couple.  Understanding the diversity of cultures and nationalities and developing an appreciation for how good Canada and PEI really is.  Reminding ourselves that we love our kids and we are always Mom and Dad, but we also need to forget our own authentic selves and where we come from and what brought us together. No one understands our full journey, but Cheryl and I.  But I digress.

Over the last few years a lot of seasons, dates, and even months have been soured by the reality of the world around me.  For whatever reason, February has remained intact.  I have no illusions it will always be this way, but in these dying moments, as February first slides gently into the second, I want to enjoy this month.  

I am looking forward to celebrating my 51st birthday on Tuesday with my family, and Cheryl and I will continue our tradition of bypassing the commercial valentines day holiday in favour of our own traditions and will head to Jamaica for our 30th anniversary.  I have no idea what February will mean to me in the future, but for now it remains a nice safe stretch in a world that sometimes seems a bit like a monopoly board where you have to roll carefully to avoid all of the pitfalls.