May 1, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Couple Appreciation Day - If you are part of a couple, then you know (particularly if you have been part of a couple for more than a couple of years) that it is hard work to make it last and to keep both of you happy. You have to be totally committed to your relationship and to maintaining your trust and respect. It helps if you can laugh together and if you are with someone you can really talk to. This is a day to spend time with the other half of your couple, to laugh and love and talk together and to strengthen your relationship so you can stick it out for the long haul. Don’t be one of those who gives up the moment it gets too hard. Lean on each other when times get tough instead of pulling away.

CSS Reboot Day - This is a web designer day that has been chosen to be a day for “spring cleaning” of the webs that have been designed. I feel fairly certain that they are not talking about spider webs. So take a look at your website today, assuming you have one, and clean up anything that isn’t working or doesn’t look absolutely great. Maybe change the design just because you feel like it.

International Permaculture Day - This is a day that was created by the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for this year is “International Year of Pulses” with a goal of increasing awareness of the pulses and their nutritional benefits. Now if you are like me and are somewhat lacking in plant based vocabulary skills, you might not know that pulses are legumes like peas, alfalfa and lentils. I had to look that up because I had no idea and I still don’t know why they don’t just call them legumes. If you know more, perhaps you would be willing to share. It is therefore fairly easy to surmise that Permaculture has to do with farming and gardens. We are getting ready to start planting our garden very soon now, so this falls on a convenient day.

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.

World Phone In Sick Day - This is a complicated day. It is celebrated today in countries where May 1st is not already a holiday...by that I think they mean a MAJOR Holiday that would give you the day off from work, not the myriad of somewhat more minor holidays that we celebrate every single day..if you live in a country where today is a major holiday then this is celebrated tomorrow. There are lots of other rules that you will find on this website. The purpose of the day is to phone in sick to work in order to squeeze out a bit of leisure time that all too often is lacking in our lives. I feel it, so I’m sure you do too. There is something going on every day in my life and there is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done. So enjoy the day and find a way to relax.

Worthy Wage Day - In many cases in this country, a person’s wage does not reflect the importance of their job. One example of this is early childhood educators. There is nothing more important than our children, but in most cases, early childhood educators are paid so little, they cannot even afford early childhood care for their own children. With wages this low, it is difficult to attract intelligent and talented people to perform the job. It has become one of those jobs that you must feel drawn to and really love in order to want to do it. But even that isn’t enough a lot of the time so it has become a “starter” job, one you would take in order to get experience so that you can then apply for a higher paying job later on.

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 “Miranda: More than Words.” This year is the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court case, Miranda vs. Arizona. So today we focus on why it is so important to preserve the protections that we are guaranteed in the Constitution. 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.

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.

Lemonade Day - Celebrated on the first Sunday in May, and also on August 20th, this is a day to teach children about being an entrepreneur.  Begun by Michael & Lisa Holthouse in 2005 as an after school program.  It has grown to cities all over the country, teaching life and business skills to more than 200,000 children last year.

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 Babylost Mother's Day, or International Bereaved Mother's Day – Celebrated on the first Sunday of May, this day was created by Carly Marie because the traditional Mother’s Day (which was created by Anna Jarvis to honor her mother, Ann, who had to live through the death of 7 of her children) has become very commercialized and mothers of children who have died have been forgotten or ignored. This is a movement to bring back the true meaning of Mother's Day.

National Infertility Survival Day - While some people seem to get pregnant if you just sneeze on them, others have a great deal of trouble achieving what becomes the unattainable dream. Having a child can be the most stressful, frustrating and heartbreaking goal of a couple's life. This day is celebrated on the Sunday before Mother’s Day.

World Laughter Day – Created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, also the creator of an exercise routine called Laughter Yoga, this day is about spreading the message of the best medicine not created by doctors. Celebrated in more than 70 countries worldwide, the mission of this day is to spread world peace, joy and good health by laughing together.  If you do this at 12 noon local time, you can join the wave of laughter going around the world. This day is celebrated on the first Sunday in May every year.

Motorcycle Mass & Blessing Of The Bikes Day – Celebrated on the first Sunday in May, this is a day for motorcyclists everywhere to gather at a special mass to have their bikes blessed.

Mayday for Mutts - Celebrated on the first Sunday in May, this is a day for shelters to promote mutts to people who are looking for a wonderful pet to love.  Mutts can contain many different wonderful traits from the different breeds in its’ ancestry so if you can’t find the perfect dog in a single breed dog, you just might be able to find a mutt that combines several traits that you enjoy from several different breeds. Mutts also have a tendency to be healthier than single breed dogs because hereditary problems don’t usually appear as often. This day was created by Karen Derrico the author of “Unforgettable Mutts: Pure of Heart Not of Breed.”  

April 30, 2016

Today we celebrate one of the busiest days we have had to date with another one coming tomorrow:

Bob Wills Day - Bob Wills was an American Western swing musician but he was much more than that. He wrote songs, and was a bandleader as well.  He was knows as the King of Western Swing back in the 1930s. He was born in 1905 and died in 1975. I’m not sure why this day was chosen to honor him, but since it was, this is a day to play some American Western swing music in his honor. Now, I don’t exactly know what that was, you’ll have to google it if you don’t know. It was a little bit before my time and maybe yours too.

National Animal Advocacy Day - Animals cannot talk. They can’t complain when the people who are supposed to love and care for them are being abusive or neglectful instead. We must be their voice for them. This is a day to speak up to your legislators and ask for tougher animal abuse laws.

National Mr. Potato Head Day - This is a day to honor one of America’s favorite foods, the potato.  Potatoes can be transformed into an amazing array of different dishes from everyone’s favorite….French Fries, to mashed, sliced, twice baked, au gratin, and many, many more.

National Oatmeal Cookie Day – Oatmeal is healthy, or so I’ve heard…..repeatedly…..from my husband, so that means that these cookies must also be healthy, right?  I’m not a person who can sit down and eat a bowl of oatmeal, no matter what you put in it to hide the taste, but I can certainly sit down and eat a bowl full of oatmeal cookies.

National Go Birding Day - My husband loves birds. Most people do, I suppose. I like them too, but not so much that I have binoculars on the window sill and keep a list of all the birds I see in the yard. I like to watch them at the feeders, but I forget to fill the feeders when my husband is not home. So, I am glad that he loves them so and takes care of them because it brings them to our house and I can’t imagine what life would be like without birds flying around the world.

Hairstyle Appreciation Day – Celebrated on the last day of April, this is a day to appreciate your hair style and the Hairstylist who created it for you.  When you look great, you feel great, and a fabulous hairstyle goes a long way to making you look great.  Have some mirrors around so you can appreciate how wonderful you look today.

National Honesty Day – This day was created by M. Hirsh Goldberg in the early 1990's to celebrate honesty. He chose the last day in April for this day because the first day in April celebrates falsehoods. The idea is that if anyone asks you a question today, you must answer it truthfully. And if YOU ask someone a question today, they must answer it truthfully (as long as you make sure they know what day it is today).

Bugs Bunny Day – On this day in 1938, Bugs Bunny debuted in the cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt. Bugs looked and sounded very different then, but that was definitely him.

International Jazz Day – Created by the United Nations, this is a day to celebrate Jazz all day long, all over the world.  There will be a global webcast that you can access in the link. Look for special events in your area. This year the host city is Washington, D.C.

Dia De Los Ninos/ Dia De Los Libros Day – Begun in 1997, this is a literary day that is all about connecting children (ninos) with books (libros).  Check with your local library because many of them will have special events today.  

Spank Out Day – This is a day for spreading the word that spanking is not the best disciplinary option. This is considered a fact for some, and an opinion for others. I see some of their points, but I'm not completely sold on it as I've seen lots of people who I feel really could benefit from a good whack on the rump.

Walpurgis Night – A traditional spring festival celebrated on this day or May 1st in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is celebrated with bonfires and dancing in honor of Saint Walpurga, an English missionary who lived in Germany in the 700's. She was canonized as a saint on May 1st a hundred years after her death so this day celebrates the eve of that event.  For reasons I do not know, she is the patron saint of those suffering from rabies.

National Raisin Day - Also known as dehydrated grapes, these make a great snack especially when they are mixed with other things like nuts and chocolate.

National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day - This is a day to save an animal by adopting it from a shelter today.  So before you drop hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a pet store animal, stop by your local shelter and take a look at the beautiful animals just waiting for the right person to save them.

World Veterinary Day - Celebrated on the last Saturday of April, this is a day to appreciate your Veterinarian.  Those of us who have pets or farm animals depend upon our Veterinarians to keep our animals healthy and to help them when they are injured.  The theme for this year’s celebration is “Continuing Education with a one Health Focus.”

Eeyore's Birthday Day – Always celebrated on the last Saturday in April, this is Eeyore's birthday! The idea came from one of A.A. Milne's stories where Eeyore thinks everyone forgot his birthday only to find out that they had been planning a party all along. Ever since 1963, Austin, TX has had a huge all day festival to celebrate this day with live bands, food, drinks, family oriented games and arts and crafts.  Which is kind of crazy since I lived in the Austin area for two Aprils and don’t remember hearing about this.

Save The Frogs Day – The frog population is dwindling. You wouldn’t know it necessarily if you aren’t in the amphibian conservation business because who else goes around counting frogs? But, for the last six years, Save the Frogs has been working to fix this problem. This day is celebrated on the last Saturday in April.

Sense Of Smell Day – Today is a day to celebrate your sense of smell. The world would be a pretty bland place without the ability to smell. Granted, when we smell stinky things, we're not so pleased about it, but the good generally outweighs the bad. In fact, I think that a smelling app has even been invented for one of the latest idevices.  We celebrate this day on the last Saturday of April every year.

National Rebuilding Day – The non-profit organization, Rebuilding Together, works hard to rebuild and repair homes and community centers for low-income families. This day is always celebrated on the last Saturday in April and the goal is to bring attention to the organization's mission and the sad plight of the low-income population of this country. They have been working at this for over 25 years and have rebuilt more than 150,000 homes so far.

World Healing Day – Always on the last Saturday in April, this day is focused on healing in all forms. There are many different kinds of health oriented celebration days associated with this day. Some of which I have listed below but I have no doubt that there are many more. All Healing Day activities begin at 10am local time to form a global wave of healing.

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day – Celebrated in 60 countries around the world since 1999, this is a day to spread awareness of the two related disciplines. The goals of today are to educate the world about the health benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong and to encourage people to embrace wisdom from all countries and cultures of the world.

World Native Aboriginal Sacred Ceremony & Dance Day – This is a day to embrace the ceremonies and special dances of the natives and aboriginals in the world.

World Yoga Day – Yoga is excellent exercise. Some of my favorite stretches came from yoga techniques and I do them every day. And you might be surprised to know that yoga, not lamaze, helped me to get through my second and third childbirth experiences since the first showed me that pain medication was not an option for me.

World Reiki Day – On this day, Reiki groups around the world will be teaching Reiki meditations and holding participatory exhibitions.

World Prayer Day – This is a day to pray for healing for yourself, your neighbors, your city, your state, your country and your world. If you participate at 10am, you can be part of a global wave of prayer.

World Thespian Day - Dramatic artists around the world are invited to be part of the Healing intent of the day by performing visions of healing for the public. Film makers may wish to produce films that encourage world healing and tolerance.

World Activism Day - All worldwide human rights and activist groups of all kinds are invited to hold events with a healing theme.

World Music Healing Day - Musicians around the world are invited to add their musical vibrations to the global wave of healing.

World Art Day - Artists are invited to produce visions of healing to share with the world.

World Sufi Dance Day - Sufism events used to be combined with the World Tai Chi and Qigong events but now it has been decided that they deserve their own category.  I’m not sure what Sufi dance is yet but Sufi groups, who presumably know what they are doing, are invited to hold Sufi Dance meditations and exhibitions as part of the global wave of healing.

April 29, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Childcare Professionals Day - Children, the love of our lives and the bane of our existence all in one tiny, adorable, demanding, sleep depriving package. When you have children, you will at some point, need to have some dependable childcare. If you stay at home with the kids in some capacity, you might be able to get away with teenaged babysitters. But if you have to leave the home for any length of time on a regular basis, you will need to find a professional. Good ones that you can trust can be hard to find but I have faith that you will persevere and succeed.   

Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare - Created by the United Nations Conference of the States Parties in 2005, this is a day to commemorate the victims of chemical warfare. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is hard at work in their efforts to convince the world that chemical weapons should be eliminated from wars. Soldiers are generally prepared for such things, so the only people who suffer are the innocent civilians who always seem to suffer the most in a war.

Viral Video Day - Created by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway, this is a day to make and post short video clips that may or may not appeal to thousands and thousands, maybe millions, of people who have nothing better to do than watch short video clips and share them with their friends. You will have better luck if you post something with a cute kitten because everyone loves cute kittens. Other options include making something funny or something sappy that makes people cry because while I don’t quite understand it, people like to cry.

World Wish Day - Created in 1980 when a seven year old boy who was dying of leukaemia was asked what he would wish for if he could have anything he wanted. He wished that he could be a police officer even if just for a day. The local police in his area granted his wish and just like that, almost, the Make-A-Wish Foundation International was born. I’m sure it wasn’t quite that easy to create a foundation like that. There was probably a little bit of paperwork involved as well. But its’ mission is to add joy to the remaining days of terminally ill children and to acknowledge and honor their courage and everlasting hope.

National Hairball Awareness Day - Celebrated on the last Friday in April (although some say it is celebrated on April 25th every year), this is a day to spread awareness of the dreadful and debilitating hairball disease. Mostly suffered by felines and feline lovers, although my canine also seems to suffer from periodic bouts of the disease, it causes coughing, hacking, and puking on the brand new living room carpet or in the expensive and also brand new dress shoes. Volunteer at your local SPCA to help them find a cure for this socially unacceptable issue.

Arbor Day - Founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872 and officially celebrated on the last Friday in April, although some states celebrate on different days because of differences in when the best tree planting time is in their areas. Find out when your state celebrates here. You can also find many different ways that you can celebrate above and beyond simply planting a tree such as reading a book about trees, taking a hike, drawing a picture of trees, writing a poem about trees, and anything else your mind can think of.

International Dance Day – Begun in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the International Theater Institute, the purpose is to commemorate the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre. Mr. Noverre is the father of modern ballet and was born in 1727. But we don’t just celebrate ballet, we celebrate every form of dance there is, cross all barriers and come together with a language everyone understands.

National Shrimp Scampi Day – If you like shrimp, butter, garlic and parsley, this is the meal for you. Try this recipe if you don’t already have one you like.

“Peace” Rose Day – The Peace Rose was developed by French horticulturist, Francis Meiland. He wanted to save the rose during World War II when it seemed inevitable that France would fall to Germany so he sent cuttings of his rose to friends in Italy, Germany, Turkey and the U.S. It made it onto the last plane to the U.S. before the German invasion. During the war it was cultivated in the U.S. by the Conrad Pyle Co. In 1945, Monsieur Meiland contacted Field Marshall Alan Brooke, one of the master strategists of the U.S. whose strategies helped win the war, and offered to name the rose after him. But Brooke suggested that he name it “peace” instead. It's name was announced on this day in 1945. The day that Berlin fell to Allied forces and the war against Germany was officially over.

Zipper Day – On this day in 1913, the zipper was patented by Gideon Sundback. Where would we be without it? Would we still have to button our pants and coats?  Would we need lots of help and patience to get into and out of our dresses?  Others before him attempted to develop different kinds of fasteners but their attempts didn’t achieve the success of Sundback.

April 28, 2016

Today we celebrate:

National Cubicle Day - Do you work in a cubicle?  You know, that assortment of partial walls with openings whereupon you find a desk here and there.  No doors, everyone can hear everything, germs float over the walls and infect everyone in the room.  In other words, heaven on earth. I work in a cubicle, but I kind of like mine. It’s my home away from home and if you plug in earphones and turn up your music, you can drown out all the whispers and chitchat that distract you from your job.

Pay it Forward Day - The Pay it Forward Day people at http://payitforwardday.com/ want to inspire the world to perform more than 10 million acts of kindness all around the world.  The website lists all the countries who have people who have pledged to participate, there are 75 of them. Is your country one of them? Maybe you can participate and do something to make someone’s life better.  Get creative, it doesn’t have to be expensive, just thoughtful and kind.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work - The theme for this year is “Workplace Stress: a collective challenge”. Stress? What stress? Don’t you all spring awake in the morning, eager to get to work and tackle the day’s issues? Of course you do. I’m sure that you and your co-workers all work together like a well oiled machine with nary a cross word among you. Your companies consider your safety to be of paramount importance and will spare no expense to make sure your job is as safe as a stroll around the block. Hmmm….well someone, namely the International Labour Organization, has been unaware of everyone’s blissful and safe life since 2003 because that is when they created this day.  They are under the odd impression that 2 million men and women around the world lose their lives through workplace accidents or disease and many times that are injured in workplace accidents and occupational diseases every year.  They think we need to work to make our working lives safer, so perhaps we should indulge them and see what we can do to accomplish that goal.

National Superhero Day - Begun in 1995 by employees of Marvel Comics, this is a day to become a superhero for your community.  Make yourself a cape and put on a colorful body hugging spandex outfit that shows off every muscle. Then you can go out and save people with your super powers. You do have super powers, right? No? Well, maybe once you put the outfit on you will develop some.

Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day – For twenty-one years now the goal of this day has been to help strengthen the connections between work and education and the relationships between parents and their children. The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Sparking Aha! Moments.”  This day is primarily for children between 8 and 18 years old.

Great Poetry Reading Day – This is a day to read great poetry and I have just the website for you. There are lots of poems that I enjoy, many of them were written for kids by Shel Silverstein. I'm not sure what that says about me, but there you go. On this website you can find many poets and apparently you can publish your own as well. This link takes you to one of my favorites. If you go to http://allpoetry.com you can find almost any poem you want.       

Poem In Your Pocket Day – Speaking of poetry, this one is celebrated on the last Thursday in April. We also celebrated this a few days ago on the 21st because I can't figure out which day this is actually supposed to be celebrated on. So maybe you can do it again. Take a poem you like and keep it in your pocket today so you can pull it out and read it whenever you feel the urge.

National Blueberry Pie Day – I love blueberries almost as much as my brother-in-law who asks for blueberry baked goods every time I see him.  He’ll be a happy camper today.

Kiss Your Mate Day – Today is the day to kiss your spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend if you have one.  If you don't, next choice is your kids. If you don't have any of them, find a willing stranger. Unless you live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where kissing a stranger is illegal. And when this day falls on a Sunday (fortunately not this year), if you live in Hartford, CT, you'll have to skip this day altogether if you're married because it's illegal for a man to kiss his wife on Sundays and I don't promote illegal activities on this blog. But since it’s Thursday this year, you’re in the clear Hartford residents. More fun kissing information can be found at this site. It's five years old but still relevant.

Biological Clock Day – Our biological clocks do more than nag us about running out of time to have babies. Our clocks tell us when it's time to sleep and when it's time to wake up which is what gets messed up when we travel to different time zones and don’t take steps to reset our clocks. Amazingly enough, they also control our metabolism, and even our temperature and blood pressure among other things.

Workers Memorial Day – Each day worldwide a worker dies, is disabled, or is made sick by a preventable workplace incident every 15 seconds. This is a day to honor those people who didn't get up to go to work expecting to never come home or to come home permanently changed. All they were trying to do is take care of their families. Our companies need to take better care of their most valuable resource; their people.