With Valentine's Day just over two weeks away, you may be thinking of what you could give to someone.
Chocolates are a classic gift and, let's face it, just about everyone likes chocolate. It's a good gift at any time, but a good Valentine's Day gift should be something special. Something with meaning behind it. Not just something that will be enjoyed, but something symbolic.
For ages, the rose has been used as a symbol of love due to its beauty. However, it is actually a terrible metaphor.
The rose serves no purpose besides decoration. It will sit in a vase on a counter or a table as it withers and dies over the course of a week or two. Once it has expired, it is simply thrown away. The rose is a gift that declares, "Ours is a fleeting love, based only on your outward appearance. Once your beauty fades, you'll be discarded and forgotten."
Now let us examine the humble potato. First of all, it is a root. It is the foundation of something greater than itself. This observation alone makes it a more significant gesture than any flower.
In addition, with just a bit of work it can be put to many satisfying uses. It can be boiled, mashed, fried, hashed, chipped, or baked, among countless other things. It has a history of remedial uses, and can even be used to make a battery.
Not only that, but a potato left in the bag or on a shelf will not die and rot, as a rose does. It will sprout and continue to grow. It thrives. The potato as a gift says, "Ours is an undying love that grows every day, taking on more forms than you can possibly imagine."
Alternatively, you might give a potato to someone you're not particularly close to but would like to get to know better. In this case, the potato might say, "What we have between us may not look like anything special right now. But, if we put just a bit of effort into it, we can turn it into something awesome."
When Valentine's Day arrives, what gift do you plan to give?
Will it be a safe, yet meaningless, gift of chocolates?
Will it be a rose - a gift which would be more appropriate as a declaration of lust than of love?
Or will you give a potato - a gift to cherish not only for what it is, but for what it shall become?
