When you’re with a musician, Valentine’s day is just another regular working day.

It might seem romantic – people constantly ask me if I “go to all his shows?” I usually laugh, and they don’t get why. I guess to them, it’s so much fun to get out on Saturday night, have a few drinks, listen to some great tunes with their friends. And don’t get me wrong – I’m a regular at Fat Tuesdays and any original gig that Tyler plays. But every show? I guess they don’t realize that:

1.) he plays a LOT (5 of 7 evenings this week coming up for example) and

2.) it’s not that fun sitting at a bar by yourself just watching. Any breaks he has are usually filled with mingling and small talking with strangers. It’s not that I mind sitting alone so much. I just get bored!

I do enjoy heading out by myself to a gig sometimes, especially to a quieter venue like the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata, with my laptop in hand, a cappuccino on the table, and blogging or working, while keeping one ear on the music and another on the people all around me. I did this last Friday night and got a lot of work and writing done.

I also did a lot of people watching. I kept noticing one woman, slightly older than me, sitting alone and quiet even though her friends were all around her. She sat and held her husband’s hand on the tabletop while he used his free hand to text from a Blackberry. She was clutching a fuchsia shawl around herself tightly and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking about something sad as she slowly ate her sushi and chocolate cake. Is that love?

I looked over at my musician and he smiled at me and starting singing “Lovers in a Dangerous time,” – one of my new favourite covers that he does. For the girl with the laptop, he said. And I know I wouldn’t rather be anyone or anywhere else.

So another Valentine’s day goes by. Tyler has a bad cold and was resting most of the day, then off to play by 6pm and I headed to the grocery store, noticing over my shoulder the long line up of men in line at the flower shop, checking their watches and shifting from one foot to another. I know a lot of people say that it’s commercial and you should show your love all year round rather than on one day, and I believe it. Plus I’d much rather get flowers as a thoughtful surprise.

Hope you had lots of love yesterday and the rest of the year!
xox

image cc: weheartit.com