May 1, 2015

Today we celebrate more in one day that I think we have since I started this blog.  I hope you will have some help:


Global Love Day - This is a day that is all about loving one another unconditionally.  I think we all have a few people in our lives that we love to that degree, but today the Love Foundation wants us to come together and love everyone that way.  Their theme is “Love Begins With Me” and their hope is that if you work on this today, it will encourage you to behave this way every day.

National Purebred Dog Day - This is a day that “celebrates the heritage,diversity and predictability of the purpose bred dog”.  Yes there is definitely something to be said for getting a purebred dog.  While I have a very large soft spot in my heart for mutts, the one thing that I am a little leery about is that you don’t know what traits you are getting in a mutt until you get to know them a bit.  With a purebred dog, for the most part, you know what to expect from them right at the start.

Law Day - The theme for this year’s celebration is “Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law.”   The Magna Carta basically states for all to see that no one is above the law.  It was created in 1215 to ensure that even royalty or nobility have to adhere to the same laws as the commoners.  That isn’t to say that corruption doesn’t happen because we all know that it does, but without this law, there wouldn’t be any opportunity to even attempt to see justice done.  And we have all seen that not every rich or powerful person manages to buy his/her way out of trouble.  Sometimes, hopefully most of the time, justice prevails.  See this website of the American Bar Association for more information:

May Day – An ancient spring festival celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere. It originated in pre-Christian times as the festival of the Roman goddess of flowers, Flora.  An old tradition, that is mostly ignored now, is leaving baskets of candy or flowers by your neighbor’s front door.

Beltane Day – The Celtic name for May Day.

Loyalty Day – Begun in 1921, this is a day to reaffirm our loyalty to the United States of America and to recognize our heritage of freedom.  Many places in the country have parades to celebrate this day.

Mother Goose Day – Founded in 1987 by Gloria T. Delamar when her book about Mother Goose was published. I was raised on Mother Goose rhymes and I read them to my children as well, but there are many young children now who have never heard of Mother Goose so I’m guessing that she is fading away into obscurity.

Save the Rhino Day – This is a day for us to be aware of the danger Rhinoceros' fate. Their numbers are dwindling and we need to support those who are fighting for the survival of the species. There is an event in London called the Rhino Mayday that celebrates the Rhino by talking with interested students about all kinds of Rhino related issues.  There will be several speakers with a wide variety of topics.

National Chocolate Parfait Day – Parfait means different things in different countries. In France, a parfait is frozen custard mixed with whipped cream.  Here in America, it is layers of pudding alternated with whipped cream and/or anything else that you think would taste delicious and sweet.

Batman Day – On this day in 1939, Batman first appeared in comic books. Specifically, he appeared in Detective Comics #27 where he was referred to as the “Bat-Man”. He was so popular at that time that the next year he got to star in a comic book named after him.

Executive Coaching Day – This is a day to applaud the executives that don't have a job, they have a profession. And they take it seriously enough that they are willing to go the extra mile and help others in their profession by coaching them. Everyone benefits when this happen; the organization, the coaches and the workers being coached.

Lei Day – Hawaii is known for their tradition of lei making.  If you’ve been to Hawaii, you have experienced their generosity in handing these beautiful flower necklaces to guests of their fair island.  But you don’t have to go to Hawaii to celebrate this day, you can have your own celebration right in the comfort of your own living room.  Many Hawaiian inspired activities are planned for today such as, brace for the shock.....the making of leis.

Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day – This is a day to pay attention to how you drive on neighborhood streets where kids are likely to be playing. I know in my neighborhood it is very common to see people speeding off to work or back home again and I have witnessed a couple of near misses with cars and people. Please be careful everyone and drive slowly in neighborhoods.

New Homeowner's Day – On this day we celebrate everyone who has bought a new home in the last year. If you know a new homeowner personally, today is a good day to drop in and get a tour of their new place.  If they are a new neighbor, take the time to stop in and introduce yourself and welcome them to the neighborhood.

Silver Star Service Banner Day – Created by the Silver Star Families Of America, this day was first accepted by all 50 states and then by the U.S. Congress. President Obama signed the resolution on April 29, 2011. The Silver Star Service Banner is a symbol that reminds Americans of those who have sacrificed for us. It is reserved for our brave men and women who have been wounded or contracted a sickness or a serious injury while in a war zone. It may be flown by anyone as a symbol of remembrance and honor.

School Principals’ Day - This is a day to honor principals of schools all over the country.  They have a very difficult job ensuring the safety of the students and staff and making sure the students are educated and have all of the services that they require in order to get that education.

International Tuba Day – Celebrated on the first Friday in May, this day is about recognizing the challenges that tubists endure in order to play their instrument. These are big and bulky instruments and are frequently disrespected among fellow band players. The day was created by Joel Day in 1979 when he was one of two tuba players in his high school band. I’d be happy if my daughter’s high school band had even one tuba player.  Mr. Day continued celebrating this day into college where he was known for popular Tuba Day activities and the celebrations have spread from there.

No Pants Day – Celebrated on the first Friday in May, this is a fun day that involves not wearing any pants. The really fun part is that you have to pretend that there is nothing unusual about going out in your underwear and watching other people’s reactions.  This is probably not a good day to wear a thong, but that’s just my opinion. This is about not taking yourself seriously and reveling in the absurdity of the situation.  Some of us celebrated this day back in January 10th, which is the original anniversary of the first guy who, back in 1986, left home without any pants and bluffed his way through the day because going back home wasn’t an option.

International Space Day – Also celebrated on the first Friday in May, this is a day that is all about space and anything that you can learn about or from space. Museums that have Air and Space exhibits may have special events going on this weekend.  This celebration was created by the Lockheed Martin Corp in 1997 in order to get young people all over the world excited about science and math.

To celebrate today, focus on loving everyone you meet.  Then, leave your pants at home and make some leis with your children and give them to everyone you see who is flying a silver banner. Head to the nearest school and give one to the Principal along with a discussion about reason vs. religion. While you are driving around, be careful to go 25 miles per hour in neighborhoods and make sure you stop in to visit with anyone who has bought a new home this year. Take a Batman comic book to everyone you coach at work and wish them a happy May Day or Beltane Day, whichever you prefer. Next, have some chocolate parfait while you reaffirm your loyalty to your country by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before you read Mother Goose rhymes to your kids and tell them all about the rhinoceroses who still roam the earth.  Finally, this evening sit with your purebred dog outside and play your tuba under the stars but if you live with noise laws, make sure you stop at the right time.

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