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.”  

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