October 1, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Less than Perfect Day - Perfectionism is difficult to live with whether it is a trait that you hold yourself or whether you live with someone with the trait. It can lead to anxiety disorders, eating disorders, alcoholism, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders and more. Today is a day to recognize that as hard as we try, absolutely no one is perfect and we need to give ourselves permission to be less than perfect today.

National Book It! Day - Celebrated on the first weekday in October, this is a day to book a vacation. I know, I know, it sounds like a day about books. But when we schedule a trip of some kind that involves airplanes or cruises or hotels, we call it “booking a room” or “booking a flight” or something like that. So today, book your trip to somewhere fun so you can be sure to have a room or a seat or whatever it is you are scheduling.

National Black Dog Day - It’s hard to believe that in this day and age, people would be superstitious about the color black in animals but it does still happen. Black dogs are not as adoptable simply because of the color of their fur because people think that the color black is associated with evil. But black dogs love their owners just as much as lighter colored dogs so give them a chance today. After all, they don’t care what color you are.

National Walk Your Dog Day - Created by Celebrity Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate, Colleen Paige, in 2010, this is a day to keep your dogs healthy by taking them for a walk so they can get some exercise. Overweight dogs have lots of health problems, so take them off the chain or let them out of the house and go for a nice long walk today. It will be good for both of you.

CD Player Day - I don’t know where this day came from or why it came from anywhere but it seems to be a day to play your CDs on a CD Player. I’m not sure where else you would be inclined to play them, but it matters not. It’s all about the CD player today.

World Vegetarian Day – Created by the North American Vegetarian Society in 1977, this is a day, “To promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism.” My husband is a dedicated meat lover but I do enjoy a vegetarian dish now and then so I will be sure to prepare one today.

Fire Pup Day – This is a day to celebrate canine firefighters. While not all fire stations have dogs, these honorary firefighters have secured a seat of honor on any firetruck.

International Music Day – Today we are to promote music by organizing or attending a free concert or by performing in the streets for passersby to enjoy. The only rule to the day is that all performers must donate their time and all performances must be free to the public.

International Day of Older Persons – Created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1990, this is a day to focus on honoring the older people in our families and communities. Help them out today so they can continue to lead full lives.

Model T Day – On this day in 1908, the first Model T Ford was completed and rolled off the factory line. A total of 15 million were built in the following twenty years. At an initial cost of $825 (about $18,000 in today's dollars), this was the first car that was affordable for the average person.

National Lace Day – This is a day to learn how to make lace if you don't already know. Done well, handmade lace is absolutely beautiful. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience to get it right, so start learning today.

Homemade Cookies Day – Cookies bought at the bakery, while delicious, do not qualify today. You must make some real HOMEMADE cookies today. I guarantee you won't be sorry, not only will your children celebrate, your house will smell amazing!

International Raccoon Appreciation Day – This is a day to celebrate raccoons, an animal we normally consider something of a pest. Nocturnal by nature (If you see one during the day, it may very well be sick so keep your distance and if it behaves unusually, get away and call for help.) we don't usually see them, which is kind of a shame. I find them to be very inventive, intelligent, and clean (since they tend to wash their food when they can before they eat it). They can be annoying if you are camping close the the dumpsters in the campground and have to listen to them banging the lids on their way in and out all night long.

Inter-American Water Day – Celebrated on the First Saturday of October, this is a day to raise awareness of how important water is for life. It was created in 1992 by the Pan American Health Organization, the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association.

World Card Making Day – This day is also celebrated on the First Saturday in October. It began in 2006 as a national day but went worldwide shortly after. It is a day for anyone involved in card making, whether you make them at home or you are part of the card making industry, to celebrate the creativity involved.

International Frugal Fun Day - Created by Shel Horowitz, the author of a book about doing things cheaply, and celebrated on the first Saturday in October, this is a day to have fun doing things that are free or very inexpensive. There are plenty of things you can do that don’t cost anything. Ride bikes with your family, go for a hike, invite some neighbors over for a potluck, play games with the kids, and that’s just to start you off.

September 30, 2016

Today we celebrate:

The Time for Yoga - At 7pm local time this evening, all yoga students at all levels of experience are encouraged to practice yoga. It doesn’t matter if you do it in a group or by yourself. Begin the savasana at 8pm and a 15 minute meditation for universal peace at 8:15pm. If every yoga student does this at the right hour, there will be a wave of yoga circulating around the world.

International Translation Day - This is the day of the feast of St. Jerome. St. Jerome is the patron saint of translators, who was famous for translating most of the Bible into Latin. The day was created by the International Federation of Translators in 1991 to promote the translating profession and to show pride in their abilities all over the world.

International Hug A Vegetarian Day – Celebrated on the last Friday in September, this is a day to support the vegetarians in the world. People have a variety of reasons for choosing to become vegetarian. Sometimes those reasons are personal preference and sometimes health concerns so be supportive of others right to choose what goes into their bodies and give the vegetarians in your life a hug. If you are a vegetarian, tell everyone you know about this day and maybe you’ll get lots of hugs today.

Save The Koala Day – Created by the Australian Koala Foundation and celebrated on the last Friday in September, this is a day to raise money for the Foundation which has made great strides in protecting the habitat of the Koalas in Australia. The goal, of course, is to save this adorable animal from the inevitable extinction that will occur if we do not do something to stop it now.

National Mud Pack Day – Mud is supposed to be very good for your skin. You can either go to a spa and spend a bunch of money to have them pack your face with mud for a while, or you can go out in the back yard, get the garden hose, make some mud and smear it on your own face. Same benefit, a little cheaper. Just watch out for the rocks, bugs and worms.

National Mulled Cider Day – It's apple season, perfect for making mulled cider. One of my favorite hot beverages although it's good cold as well.

Blasphemy Day – This is an atheist holiday during which people are expected to openly express their disbelief in, disdain for, or criticism of, religion. It was created in 2009 by the Center for Inquiry. This day was chosen because it is the anniversary of the publication of Muhammad cartoons in a Denmark newspaper. Be careful where you do this, if you do this. In some countries such as Afghanistan, blasphemy is punishable by death.

Chewing Gum Day - This is a day to exercise your jaws and teeth and chew some gum. Chewing gum in various forms has been around for hundreds and maybe thousands of years. I don’t imagine that the original version tasted great, but it couldn’t have been too bad or it wouldn’t have persisted for so long. It began to be manufactured and sold as a product in the late 1800s and was originally licorice flavored. I’m not a fan of licorice so I’m very glad that “Adam’s Black Jack” gave way to “Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit and Spearmint” flavor.

September 29, 2016

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.

Goose Day - Turns out I had this one all wrong the first time I posted about it two years ago. I thought it was a day to celebrate geese but in fact it is a day to celebrate Michaelmas which is the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, who is to some the greatest, most powerful and most intelligent of God’s angels. I don’t know how anyone can make that sort of distinction. I think if I saw any of God’s angels with my own two eyes, I wouldn’t feel at all disappointed if it wasn’t Michael. In any case, you might be wondering what I was wondering. What do geese have to do with any of this? Well, the traditional feast day main dish was a goose.

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.

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.

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.

September 28, 2016

Today we celebrate:

International Right To Know Day - Freedom of information is essential to a democracy.  Freedom of Information organizations created this day in 2002 to spread awareness about our right to access government information.  

National Good Neighbor Day - This is a day to recognize your good neighbors and to be a good neighbor yourself. Some stores near you might recognize this day with a sale, and I suggest you recognize it with some good neighbor deeds.

National Ask A Stupid Question Day – This is officially celebrated on this day every year. However, since it is usually celebrated by students and teachers, they tend to change the date to  the last school day of the month instead. Anyway, this is a day to stop being afraid of looking stupid and ask any question you want to know the answer to. They say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Well, if you listen to comedian Bill Engvall, you know that this is not true. However, just because it’s a stupid question, doesn’t mean you can’t ask it. Ask me anything you want to know. I’m listening…...OK, that was a stupid question. Congratulations! You got the right idea!

National Strawberry Cream Pie Day – Who doesn't love strawberries? But as good as strawberries are, strawberries and cream are even better.

World Rabies Day – The Global Alliance for Rabies Control which has headquarters in the United States and the United Kingdom, coordinates activities on this day which honors the death of Louis Pasteur, who was a part of the team that developed the first rabies vaccine. They honor him by working to raise awareness of the dangers of rabies for humans and animals, and spreading information about how to prevent the disease. Humans and animals on every continent except Antarctica (I’m sure you don’t need me to explain why) are at risk although some continents, such as Africa and Asia, hold the most risk because of the large number of unvaccinated stray dogs.

Read A Child A Book You Like Day - If you have children, I am sure you have put in plenty of time reading the same book over and over and over again. Some you have read so many times you would really like them to disappear so you never have to see them again, no matter how good the books were the first hundred times. Well, this is a day when you get to pick which book you read. Pick one that is age appropriate (although I am guilty of reading all kinds of weird stuff to my kids when they were babies and didn’t know what I was saying) and that you enjoy and have fun reading it to them. You can even do this if you don’t have children, I’m sure you can find one to borrow if you look around.

National Drink Beer Day - I’m not a fan of beer and never have been, but I know it is an extremely popular adult beverage so if you enjoy a beer, have one today. There are certainly a lot of different kinds to chose from.

National Women's Health & Fitness Day – This day is considered to be “the nation's largest annual health promotion event for women of all ages.” It is held on the last Wednesday in September with a goal of highlighting the importance of health awareness. Physical activity on a regular basis is an important component of being healthy so look into joining a local fitness center or working on your own to increase your level of physical activity. Many fitness based organizations all over the country will be having special events today.

World School Milk Day – Celebrated for the last 15 years on the last Wednesday of the month, this is a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations created day for the purpose of establishing school milk programs all over the world. Milk is a good way to get calcium which is important for growing strong bones for children. This makes milk an important part of a child's diet and far too many children in the world do not have access to it.

September 27, 2016

Today we celebrate:

National Woman Road Warrior Day – Road Warriors are people who travel for a living. This day is celebrated on the fourth Tuesday in September and honors the traveling businesswomen. Women road warriors often find it a more difficult way of life than the men do because they suffer from the guilt of leaving behind sick children and other family obligations more than men typically do.

National Corned Beef Hash Day - Today it’s all about meat and potatoes. Specifically corned beef meat and fried potatoes. It’s delicious with fried eggs.

National Crush A Can Day – This is an odd day that doesn't seem to have a specific purpose or history that I can find. I can speculate that it is a stress relieving day as some people like to relieve their stress by breaking or crushing things. I prefer to recycle my cans but I guess I can make an exception today.

Ancestor Appreciation Day – This is a day to dig into your family history and find out where you came from so you can appreciate your ancestors, whoever they happen to be. Without every single one of them, you would not be who you are. So, even if you find that one or more of them are not necessarily people you would be proud of, you should be thankful for their role in ultimately creating you.

Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – Created in 2008 by the National Association of People with AIDS, this is a day to recognize that although gay and bisexual men are only about 2 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 61 percent of all of the newly diagnosed HIV infections in the year 2009. Since this is the demographic that is most at risk of developing this devastating disease, it stands to reason that men who are gay and bisexual need to be tested regularly and, even better, take precautions to protect themselves against becoming infected in the first place.

National Chocolate Milk Day – Chocolate fans everywhere, heads up! This is a day for you. Carry some chocolate around with you today so you can add it to your milk at every meal. If you don't usually drink milk at meals, you might want to change your habits today. I really like to use Ovaltine as opposed to Nestle or Swiss Miss or other chocolate milk mixes because it is chock full of vitamins and minerals and makes really good chocolate milk.

World Tourism Day - This is a day to focus on the value of tourism. The theme for this years’ celebration is “Tourism For All, Promoting Universal Accessibility.” A lot of communities depend on tourists for their livelihood, but there are a lot of places that people with disabilities cannot get to. Whether the disability is permanent or temporary, at some point in almost everyone’s life, they will find a place that they want to see but won’t be able to because it is not accessible. So today we focus on trying to change that and make every place accessible to everyone. The organizers want to know how you will be celebrating so they ask that you send them photos based on the theme to the WTD Facebook album and label your tweets about it with #tourism4all #WTD2016.

National Voter Registration Day – Participation is vitally important when you live in a democratic society. If you don’t participate, you leave the decisions up to the ones that do and you don’t get a voice.  Sometimes it seems like voting is pointless especially if you are part of a minority party, but you still need to realize that your voice is important and you have the right to speak. And if you speak up loud enough, you may be able to sway others to your point of view and then you can create change. So if you are not registered to vote in your local area, get out there and register today. This is celebrated on the fourth Tuesday in September.

September 26, 2016

Today we celebrate:

European Day of Languages - This is a day to celebrate the diverse languages that span our globe. We are encouraged by the Council of Europe (who created this day in 2001) to learn a new language no matter how old you are. The more people who know more than one language, the easier it will be for different countries and cultures to understand each other.

National Better Breakfast Day - This is a day that I can really get behind. A day to have a better breakfast. I always have a good breakfast because no one wants me to be cranky in the morning. However, my children rarely eat it. I have given up badgering them about it because if I make them eat breakfast before they go off to school at that horrifically early hour (their words, not mine), they get sick. So, since they usually get lunch long before noon, I let it slide on school days. However, it bothers me that they don’t eat because I know that their brains will work much better if they have a good breakfast in their bodies.

World Contraception Day - This is a day to spread the message about keeping yourself safe when you share yourself with someone else. I can’t talk too frankly about this because I have to be cognizant of my audience. But everyone should want to avoid STD’s and unwanted pregnancies which is a huge problem all over the world. So many diseases could be avoided if you just practice abstinence until you are married and you use contraception until you are sure your partner is free of disease and until you are ready to have babies.

Johnny Appleseed Day – Born on this day in 1774, this is a day to celebrate John Chapman who was known by many as Johnny Appleseed. He was responsible for introducing apple trees to parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia and Indiana. He became a legend in this country, even before he died in 1845, mostly because of his conservation skills and his kind and generous way of life.

National Pancake Day – This is not the IHOP Pancake Day that we celebrated back in February, and it is not associated with the “pancake race” that is held every year in England (check back in April for more on this fascinating tradition). This is simply a food holiday that just happens to fall on this day. Have some pancakes for breakfast today.

Love Note Day - This is a day to get out the paper and pen and write a love note to the one you love. No texting, emailing or tweeting. That will just not count today. Paper and pen is the only way to go, but it doesn’t have to be long in order to be heartfelt. I promise you that your loved one will absolutely love to receive this from you.

Shamu the Whale Day - Shamu is the trademarked name given to various orca whales that perform at several of the SeaWorld parks. There is a lot of controversy right now regarding the captivity of these whales and several trainers have been injured or killed because the whales are wild creatures who cannot always be controlled the way the SeaWorld people would like them to be.

Lumberjack Day – Created in 2005 by Marianne Ways and Colleen AF Venable, this is a day to behave like a lumberjack if you know what that type of behavior consists of. Apparently lumberjacks eat a lot of pancakes, talk differently and carry an ax wherever they go. Good luck with that.

Family Day - Created by CASAColumbia for the purpose of reducing substance abuse in children and teens by helping parents become more engaged in the lives of their children. It is celebrated on the fourth Monday in September beginning in 2001 by telling parents about the importance of regular family dinners. It has since grown from there with more ideas about how to keep the communication open with your children. On the website, there is a pledge that you can make to spend time with your kids, talk to them about anything and everything, answer their questions and recognize the power you have to influence them.

September 25, 2016

Today we celebrate:

National Daughter’s Day - This is a day to celebrate your daughter(s). It is National Daughter’s Day but it is actually celebrated in several different countries such as India and the United Kingdom. I have put it on this, the fourth Sunday in September, because most people celebrate on this day. However, there are some who believe it is on October 1st. A good way to celebrate the day is to do something fun and special with your daughter like a tea party if she is a child, or decorating each other’s nails if she’s a teenager, or sharing a cup of coffee and conversation if she is an adult.

National Cooking Day - I got in on the ground floor on this one. This year is the first ever celebration of the joy of cooking. It was created by PotsandPans.com and the purpose is “to encourage and inspire everyone to discover and experience something new and enjoyable in the kitchen.” If you are one of those people who love to cook, this is your day. I’m afraid I’m not one of you. Cooking is a chore for me. Baking, on the other hand, that is an activity I can really get into.

National Food Service Employees Day - This is a day to celebrate all the people involved in food service. These are the people who make sure we are fed breakfast, lunch or dinner at all hours of the day or night. They work in our schools, restaurants, delis, coffee shops and sometimes right out our workplaces if there is a cafeteria or some sort. They work hard at their jobs and don’t often get complimented or even thanked. So today show them how much you appreciate their efforts.

National Lobster Day - Created by resolution from the 114th Congress in 2015, today we recognize the lobster as a “prized culinary delicacy.” We honor the lobster fishing industry, the families that make a living from that industry and have created one of the world’s most sustainable fishing practices dating back to the 1600s. We are encouraged to celebrate with appropriate ceremonies and activities. The only really appropriate activity that I can think of is to eat lobster. Share if you think of another way to celebrate.

National Psychotherapy Day - This day was created to work on restoring the reputation of Psychotherapy. People tend to dismiss therapy as ridiculous, they go right to the quick fix of medication without first taking the time to try to solve their problems by any of the other methods that Therapists can use. Sometimes medication is necessary, but other times it can be avoided. I have utilized the services of a Therapist a few times and I think it really helped. You should give it a try too.

World Dream Day - Today we work to support our dreams as well as those of the dreamers around us. It’s one thing to spend your life dreaming of something, it’s another matter to take steps make your dreams become a reality. Today is a day to work on making those steps happen for yourself and to encourage those around you to do the same.

Crab Meat Newburg Day - a dish made with crab meat, butter, sherry, eggs, cream and various spices. I’ve never had it myself because I’m not a big fan of crab meat but I understand that this is a rich and creamy deliciousness that just has to be tried. Here’s a recipe to get you started, but there are thousands more online so feel free to find a different one.

World Pharmacists Day - Created by the FIP Council at the FIP Congress in Istanbul a number of years ago, this is a day for pharmacists all over the world to work to improve the health of the people they serve. The theme this year is “Pharmacist: Your partner in health.”  Medicines are vitally important for the health and well being of billions of people. Having access to, and knowing how to use, the right medicines can make the difference between life and death for so many. Thankfully we have pharmacists who are trained to know everything there is to know about the medications we use both short and long term.

National Comic Book Day - This is a day to read a comic book and maybe to share it with someone else who would enjoy reading it. Don’t put it down and say it’s not a real book just because it has lots of pictures and the words are in bubbles. It is still reading, so let your kids read some comic books today.

International Ataxia Awareness Day – This is the day to increase awareness of Ataxia. The word “ataxia” means “without coordination.” People with this disease have malfunctioning nervous systems which make it impossible to control their movements and balance. It could affect just a small part of a person’s body, such as fingers, eyes, or speech, or it could affect many parts of the body. It is diagnosed based on family history and an MRI brain scan. Genetic tests can be performed to see if someone carries the Ataxia gene. It can begin causing symptoms in either childhood or adulthood.

Math Storytelling Day – First celebrated in 2009, this is a day to tell math stories. You can make it a joke or an anecdote using numbers or symbols. Be creative about it and the kids will enjoy it much more.

National One-Hit Wonder Day – Created by Steve Rosen, this is a day to celebrate and remember those artists who had only one big hit in their careers. That’s still more musical hits than I’ve had, so I’ve got to hand it to them because they’ve all gone farther than I have.

World Deaf Day - Celebrated on the last Sunday in September, this is a day to draw attention to the achievements of deaf people and the deaf community. They have come a long way since the days when they were pretty much hidden from society. They were seen as being unable to learn and be educated. Therefore they were not allowed to own property, or marry, and had to have a guardian. Life is much better these days, however, there is still more that we can do to expand the development of technology that will help deaf people live the same quality of lifestyle as hearing people.

World Rivers Day - Also celebrated on the last Sunday in September, today we celebrate the waterways of the world. Our rivers are essential to the health of the plants and animals that live on this planet, ourselves included. Let’s do our best to keep them clean.

Gold Star Mother's Day – This is a day that was created by the American Gold Star Mothers Inc. which is an organization that provides support for mothers of children who were lost in a war. It was created just after World War I. Membership is open to any American woman who has lost a child in service to the United States. We celebrate this day on the last Sunday in September every year.