International Tug-o-War Day - A simple, but fun sport. We used to play this on Field Day when I was in elementary school. Some cultures take it very seriously. Back in the day, this competition was used to solve community disputes. It was even an Olympic sport before it was dropped from the Games in 1920.
Chinese New Year – The year of the goat begins today and will last until February 7, 2016. Yeah, that is a little shorter than a year which confuses me too, but as long as the Chinese know what's up, who am I to judge. And in case you are wondering, some Chinese years are a little longer than a year so it all evens out somehow. I did read that the Chinese New Year always falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th. Other goat years were 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943, 1931 and 1919. Fun Fact: My husband is a goat and a few people who are reading this will find it interesting that the best suited careers for goats are - Pediatrician, Actor, Teacher, Interior Designer, Musician, and Editor. I could easily argue that he has skills in all of these areas, although none of them are his present full-time profession...yet.
National Chocolate Mint Day – Chocolate and mint, my favorite combination of flavors. I'll have to find some Andes Candies, Peppermint Patties or Junior Mints to have today.
Iwo Jima Day – Begun on this day in 1945, the fighting at Iwo Jima lasted more than a month with very heavy casualties for the U.S. and for the Japanese because surrender for either side was not an option or even a vague possibility for consideration. Thousands of men died that day and in the month following. This invasion was the first time American's attacked Japanese home territory and the Japanese really had no chance against the superior forces (in terms of numbers of soldiers, firepower, and air power) that the American's brought to the island. But despite that, the battle lasted for five weeks because the Japanese were well entrenched in caves and tunnels and chock full of pure stubbornness.
The Great American Spit Out – This is a day to quit chewing tobacco. Some people think that as long as they don't smoke tobacco, they have less of a risk of cancer and emphysema. But the fact is that the risk of cancer is just as high with chewing tobacco and although you might not get emphysema, you are likely to get gum disease, cancer of the mouth or throat and heart disease among other things. Plus, it's just gross for those of us who happen to see you spit even if you try to do it discretely into a cup.
Single Tasking Day – This is a day to focus on one thing at a time. Which makes it somewhat odd that I have seen internet references to celebrating this day anywhere from Feb. 17 to the 24th and every day in between. The powers that be obviously can’t make up their minds. I have trouble with making up my mind as well as I find my brain going in all different directions jumping from task to task and my body follows. While I make progress on many different things, it is difficult to force myself to complete something. Which is why I only wash half the dishes, put the laundry in the washing machine but not the dryer, vacuum one room and not the others....etc.
So, today, every time you find yourself drifting away from what you are trying to focus on, bring yourself back and finish it before you start something else. Speaking of laundry....
To celebrate today, focus on one task at a time today. Start by quitting your chewing tobacco habit. Then set the neighborhood kids up with a game of Tug-O-War. Then get a book about Iwo Jima and reading it to the winners before you share chocolate mints in honor of New Years Day.
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