English Language Day - This day was created by The English Project, possibly in 2009. The English Project is a Winchester based group that planned the first permanent English Language exhibition space. They planned to open in 2012 or 2013 but I was not able to find out if that actually happened. It was on this day in 1362 that the Chancellor of England opened Parliament by making a speech in English which was the first time that had ever happened, apparently.
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction – This is a day to participate in improving the disaster preparedness of your community. Disasters are happening at an increased rate these days and as far as I can tell, there is no part of the country that is completely safe. So find out what you need to do to be prepared and help your community to be prepared as well.
International Day for Failure - Normally I don’t like to dwell on failures. I prefer to move on to more positive things. However, this is a day to do just that. Think about your failures. If you do, you might realize that we tend to learn a lot more from our failures than we do from our successes. So think about them, learn from them and then share what you have learned with others so they can learn too.
International Plain Language Day - the Plain Language movement encourages people to write clearly using easy to understand language. A lot of the things we really should read these days are written in difficult to understand medical or legal language and the consequences of misunderstanding these documents can be pretty serious. On this day in 2010, President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act of 2010 which states that all US government agencies must use clear language in their documents. Many other governments have passed similar laws but that is only the start.
International Suit Up Day - This is a day to wear a suit to school, work, shopping, dropping the kids at preschool, or even just sitting on the couch to watch television today. It seems to be a How I Met Your Mother inspired day because of Barney Stinson’s catchphrase “Suit up!” He even sang a song called, “Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit” on the show.
National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day - Thousands of women are currently living with advanced, stage IV breast cancer. They suffer through the treatments that are many times as bad as the disease itself with a multitude of side effects. There is no known cure for the disease yet. This is a day to acknowledge the particular needs of the ones who have the advanced, incurable form of breast cancer which are different from those who are diagnosed with an early stage disease. There have been many advances in treatment. This disease is no longer an instant death sentence and even though it is incurable, many women are living longer and better lives than ever before.
National No Bra Day - This is a day that is associated with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There is no research that links wearing bras to a higher risk of breast cancer, this is just a fun day to help raise awareness of the disease that about 232,670 women and 2,360 men have been diagnosed with in 2014. About 12.3 percent of women will get the disease at some point in their lives. It’s something that I have an acute awareness for because like many, because of a family history, my risk is higher than average.
National Yorkshire Pudding Day - This is an British pastry similar to a popover that probably everyone in the world has heard of even if they haven’t seen or tasted it. The earliest written recipes date back to the 1700’s but it is still very popular today. Here’s a recipe to try.
Silly Sayings Day - This is a day to celebrate the popular catch phrases and odd expressions that people use periodically. Some of them are as old as our great grandparents or even older, as hard as that is to believe, so the meanings are no longer common knowledge. Such as “High on the hog” or “Knee high to a grasshopper”. I’m sure you can think of many more.
International Skeptics Day – This is a day to be skeptical and untrusting of anything or anyone. Ask questions and don't believe anything unless you have irrefutable proof. Some people place this day on January 13th and I’m not sure what the discrepancy is all about, but feel free to celebrate twice.
World Sight Day – Celebrated on the second Thursday in October, this is a day to get your eyes tested. If you are like me and only get them tested once every 7-9 years, give or take a little, get in gear and go to the eye doctor. Apparently, there are a lot of preventable eye issues that can be diagnosed and treated by the doctor but if you don't go, you don't get it fixed. Ok, ok, you talked me into it. I'll go.
National Train Your Brain Day - This is a day to expand your mind’s limits by doing brain exercises, puzzles, trivia games, riddles, word games, and brain teasers. I like to play Sudoku but I mix it up a little here and there with crossword puzzles and other kinds of puzzles. You don’t have to live with your brain and memory as it is just because you are an adult. You can exercise your brain and make it better no matter how old you are.
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