The Colander of Love

Here is a love story from my life that trumps any Valentine's Day:

Once upon a time, Jeff was very commitment-phobic. My first year of grad school, I was 24 and we had been together for over 4 years. I was ready to make a big change, but he... wasn't. He couldn't imagine any benefit to moving out of his mom's house, where she cooked for him, did his laundry, and bought his underwear.

I was unhappy with this mentality, to say the least. I wanted more. I was ready for marriage, a house, kids.. all that good grown-up stuff. Alas. I was willing to wait a little longer for Jeff to come around, though not much.

At the time, I was living in a house about a block from campus that was filled with 5 18-year-old girls (that's a whole different story) and myself. They were gross, so I kept separate kitchen stuff that I would hide in my attic room until I needed to use it. I was seriously lacking in equipment, and it was a challenge to strain pasta with just a fork. Try it.

Jeff came by one evening with a little mesh colander, but oh so much more. You see, when he gave it to me, he said, "I got this for you, you know, I figured we'd need one anyway when we moved in together."

Angels singing, harps, the heavens parting, all of it! It was better than diamonds! I was so happy!

Of course when I shared this with the only two guys in my class, they thought it was hilarious that I would get so excited over a colander, which they dubbed the Colander of Love. They suggested I wait until I was given the Cheese Grater of Fidelity or the Spatula of Eternity, but I knew what the colander stood for.

The moral of the story is simple: "Love is expressed in many ways, even in colanders, and will come around when the time is right." Also, "don't look a gift colander in the...holes?" If you get a toaster as a gift, it might just mean that special someone wants to make you breakfast forever. : )