Is it still just the thought that counts?

I hate to reference the movie Easy A again….WHAT AM I SAYING? I LOVE Easy A. Forget that, lets get to the quote. When the character Brandon, played by Dan Byrd, accuses Emma Stone’s character Olive of liking being thought of as a floozy, she demands to know why, to which he replies, “Because at least you’re being thought of.”

I’d love to think that someday we will outlive idle adolescent drama, or that it will no longer hit home as it plays nostalgic melodies on our heart strings. However, I seriously doubt I’ll ever see that day. So for now, I’ll get to the point. We are immersed in a culture where we love, and desperately need, to be thought of. However, in our new technological world, it no longer seems that, “it’s the thought that counts.” We comment on photos, write on people’s facebook walls, and post our inner-most thoughts to the internet, whether in 140 characters or less, or through a blog post like this. In times like this where it seems every act of affection is, in a way, PDA, it is nice to hear stories of gestures of love that only served the purpose of telling that special someone, “I’m thinking of you.” 

When I was in highschool I went on a trip to Europe with my choir, and I had a very amazing roommate. She was seriously dating a boy, and I could tell that a two week separation was going to be hard for both of them, especially because it was summer and they actually had free time to spend together. When we got to our hotel room and started unpacking, she found a little picture of the two of them in one of the pockets of her suitcase with a note that said, “Missing you already.” Throughout our trip, she found more and more pictures and notes stashed throughout her luggage. He didn’t shout from the rooftops that she was his, or that he was proud of her; he didn’t have to. And she didn’t feel the need to tell everyone what he did. I only ever heard what was on that first note, and if I hadn’t paid attention, I wouldn’t have known that she had gotten anymore. His gesture of love was for her alone.

 When a friend of mine alerted me to the website  www.cardboardlove.com, I quickly became infatuated. The  website consists of many posts from 2009 to 2010 of a man writing love letters to his girlfriend on pieces of cardboard. It seems that it started out as one love letter on cardboard, and then eventually became somewhat of an inside joke. Even though I don’t know the couple, or really anything about them, reading the sweet things that he posts for her just makes me smile.

Sometimes the people in our lives just need to know that we’re thinking about them, that we love them, and that we want and need them in our lives. It’s not necessary to write thousands of love/appreciation letters. Just like bringing flowers on every date, the gesture can get old. Sometimes it just means reminding them that you think that they are perfect just the way they are, flaws and all.

 I found an idea on Pinterest of a Valentine’s day gift where you take a deck of cards and you write a reason why you love the person on each cards. 52 reasons why I love you. 52 things, is a lot of things, but the more creative you get, the better. When my, now ex-boyfriend, got into a car crash and was in a not-so-happy place in his life, I sat him down and started reciting him the things I loved about him. I never got through the entire list, and I never had to. But I know that my words had an impact, and that it was worth it to have that moment be just ours. Until now. ❤