September 29, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Confucius Day – At daybreak this morning, we will honor Confucius as this is considered to be his birthday. Since he was born in 551 BC, I'm not really sure how the powers that be know this for sure. But we do know for sure that he was a very wise scholar and philosopher who is still quoted to this day.  You will find people celebrating Confucius on various days at the end of September.  I’m not sure which is the official day because all kinds of legitimate looking sites put it on the 27th, 28th, or 29th.

Broadway Musicals Day - I couldn’t find much information on this day beyond the fact that it exists.  But I would assume that a good way to celebrate would be to go to see a Broadway play.  I love to do that periodically.  The actors are so talented and entertaining.

World Heart Day – Created in 2000, this is a day to teach people about heart disease and stroke since they are the leading cause of death in the world. Many of these deaths can be avoided if you know the risk factors and change your life accordingly.

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day – This is a day to encourage grandparents to start bonding with their grandchildren from the very first moment by attending and participating in their birth. I think that sounds great, but in practice it might not be so great. I didn't really want a lot of people in the room with me when I gave birth. I would have found it too stressful. I needed it to be quiet and dark and nobody bother me, please, I'm busy. So in my opinion, whether the grandparents attend the birth or come in afterward to see the baby should be at the discretion of the birthing mother.

National Coffee Day ( also known as Coffee Day or International Coffee Day) – This is a day celebrated by several countries for the purpose of enjoying a good cup of coffee. We are also expected to promote fair trade for coffee and raise awareness of the sad plight of coffee growers. In the short time I had to research this, I was not able to find out what is happening with the coffee growers so if you know the answer, please let me know so I can feel badly for them. I can only imagine that they share the challenges of other agricultural based enterprises.

National Mocha Day - Seems like a repetition of Coffee Day to me, but apparently this is particularly for Mocha which is like coffee but different at the same time.  It is made with espresso (I’m not a big coffee drinker but I believe that espresso is coffee in concentrated form) combined with steamed milk and some form of chocolate.  Sometimes it is made with whipped cream and cocoa powder and even mini marshmallows on top.

Goose Day - This is a day to celebrate geese in any way you can find.  Do you have a pond where you go to feed the geese?  Maybe your kids like to play Duck, Duck, Goose?  Maybe you know some adults who like to play?  You can read some stories that feature geese to your kids or watch a movie with geese in it.  Or use your imagination and come up with a different way of doing something with a goose theme.

National Poisoned Blackberries Day - According to legend, on this day, hundreds of years ago, the Devil poisoned all the blackberries in Scotland resulting in the death of many people.  As a result, there are still some blackberries that are poisoned and should not be eaten.  I would assume that the ones you get in the store are safe to consume, but you should probably research blackberry varieties before eating wild berries.

VFW Day – Established on this day in 1899, the VFW began as a small group of Spanish-American veterans and has grown to become the nation's largest group of combat veterans. The VFW has, for 114 years, dedicated itself to honoring the dead by helping the living. They do this by spreading good will, patriotism and scholarships for the youth.

To celebrate today, grab some coffee to get your heart started and head to Broadway to see a play.  It doesn’t even matter what play, they are all great.  Then stop by the VFW near you to share some unpoisoned blackberries.  On the way home, find a pond with some geese and feed them a few bread crumbs left over from your sandwich at lunch while you enjoy a mocha.  Then, attend your grandchild’s birth, assuming you have a child who is accommodating enough to have a baby today, and share some Confucius wisdom with the whole family.