The other day I went searching for a Valentine’s Day card for Matt. I hunted through the cards and found one that both made me chuckle and seemed appropriate.
Yesterday I took the card out to sign it. And that’s when I realized there was something wrong.
It didn’t say “Happy Valentine’s Day.” It said “Happy Anniversary.”
I should realized something was amiss when I had to take a red envelope from behind another stack of cards because the envelopes behind this particular card were cream-colored. But hey, there are so many similar letters there — V, A, E, N, N, I, A, Y — and it was among the Valentine’s Day cards.
I signed it anyway, crossing out “Anniversary” and writing in “Valentine’s Day.” And when I gave him the card I apologized in advance.
Maybe I’ll give him an Arbor Day card on his next birthday.
I’m ashamed to admit that I actually read very little of what’s put in front of me–the best readers can usually glean the content from contextual cues and don’t have to read most of the words. Helpful in daily life, a horrible handicap as an editor.
I actually do this with cards all the time. I find a card that would be perfect if it not for a few words, so I white it out and fill it in (matching my letters to the font of the rest of the card). It’s fun to give someone a card that’s a little customized that way. :)
Perhaps it wasn’t a mistake at all, but merely your subconscious asserting itself to express a desire that may someday be fulfilled.
I hope you and Matt had a great VD.