October 5, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Storytelling Day - This is a day for celebrating the ancient practice of storytelling. People have been telling stories for thousands of years. In the past, it was the primary way that news was spread from region to region because they didn’t have newspapers and books were rare. We still tell stories to entertain each other and to share news via television news shows.

International Day of No Prostitution - This day was created by Anti-prostitution feminists and is to spread their message of the destructive nature of prostitution to women. Very few women become prostitutes because they want to. The overwhelming majority are forced into it by people or circumstances that they cannot escape on their own, and far too many don’t see a way out of their situation.

National Apple Betty Day – This was something we would have for dessert all the time when I was a kid. I think I need to make it more often for my kids. There's a recipe here that looks pretty good.

World Teachers’ Day – There are Teacher's Days that are localized and celebrated in different countries at different times (mostly because they are honoring the birth of someone specific to their area), but this is the only Worldwide Teacher's Day. If you know any teachers personally, give them a call today.

Do Something Nice Day – This is a day to be nice to someone without being asked to. This does not count as me asking you to. You need to do it because you want to. This is sometimes called a random act of kindness or paying it forward. Call it what you want, just do it today...as long as you want to.

National Depression Screening Day – This is a day to raise awareness of the signs of depression and anxiety disorders and to participate in a screening program so that you can get help if you need it. This day is celebrated on the Thursday during Mental Illness Awareness Week which is the first full week of October.

October 4, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Roll Day) - This is a Swedish celebration that is worthy of being a world wide day, in my opinion. Melt in your mouth cinnamon buns began to be celebrated with their own day in Sweden when the Swedish Home Baking Council celebrated its’ 40th Anniversary of operations and created this day. I can smell them already.

Sukkot – A Jewish holiday that lasts for seven days. It begins this evening at sundown and ends at sundown on the 11th. For the first two days, work is not allowed. For the last five days, work is allowed but there are restrictions. This holiday is celebrated with pilgrimages, and special blessings and it is intended that people will build a sukkah, which is the tent structure that the Israelites used for shelter during their 40 years of traveling in the desert after their freedom from slavery in Egypt.

National Golf Day - There are several golf days sprinkled throughout the year because people love to golf. This one seems to be sponsored by the PGA since 1952 and many courses will have special events and direct proceeds to charities.

National Ships-in-Bottles Day - This is a day to appreciate the amazing works of art that Ships in Bottles are. I have no idea how much patience it takes to painstakingly assemble a ship, piece by piece in a bottle, but I know that I do not possess nearly enough of it. This day was chosen for the celebration because it is the birthday of the first President of The Ships-In-Bottles Association of America, Jack Hinkley.

eDay - This is a New Zealand day attempting to raise awareness of the dangers of electronic waste to the environment. We need to stop throwing our electronic devices into landfills and instead recycle them to be made into other electronic devices. There are chemicals in these devices that are seeping into our groundwater and being ingested by people, animals and plants and they are causing some potentially serious problems that could cost billions of dollars to fix in the future if we don’t stop it now.

National Taco Day – A taco is the Mexican version of a sandwich. A tortilla wrapped around a filling of beef, pork or fish. There are countless variations on the taco so feel free to come up with your own. You don’t need to go by what Taco Bell puts in it and it doesn’t matter if your tortilla is a hard shell or a soft flour or corn tortilla. You can even make a breakfast taco with eggs and cheese and bacon.  

The Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi – The Patron Saint of animals, the environment and a Co-patron Saint of Italy. This is the day after the anniversary of his death in 1226. After growing up wealthy, and converting to a life of poverty and preaching, he began his own religious order which was eventually endorsed by Pope Innocent III in 1210.

Blessing of The Animals Day – This day coincides with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi because of his love for all animals. So take your animals to a local Catholic church for their blessing today.

World Animal Day - Also celebrated in conjunction with the aforementioned Feast Day, this is a day to take some kind of action on behalf of animals all over the world. Animals have rights too and we need to be mindful of their welfare.

Improve Your Office Day – On this day, office workers all around the world are required to clean up, organize and decorate in order to make their work environment clean and safe and it wouldn't hurt for it to be healthy either so make sure you use disinfectant on phones, keyboards, mice, desks and anything else people touch regularly. I know it’s a Sunday this year but this is a project that is worth going to work on a Sunday for.

Ten-Four Day – This is the fourth day of the tenth month and is a day of recognition for those radio operators who use the code words “ten-four” instead of the word “yes” on the radio. Do not ask me why radio operators need these code words, I do not have the answer for that.

National Vodka Day – The word comes from the Russian word “voda” which means “water”. This was traditionally a European drink and didn't become popular in the United States until after World War II. It is a very potent drink with a high alcohol volume so be careful when you drink it.

International Toot Your Flute Day – This is a day to brag, brag, brag. Don't be shy about telling everyone how great you are and all of the awesome, wonderful things you can do! Toot your own flute because no one can do it better since no one knows you like you do.

Balloons Around The World Day – This is a day to spread smiles around the world. Balloon artists all over the globe will participate in twisting balloons into a variety of wonderful shapes and giving them to people. Everyone loves balloon animals. I have a friend who is quite good at making a plethora of different balloon animals so I will inform him of the need to make a whole lot of them today. I’m sure he will be delighted. This day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in October.

International Walk To School Day - This is a day that began in Great Britain in 1994 and spread around the world in the ensuing years. Every community that celebrates has a different goal they wish to accomplish. Some are rallying for safer streets, some for healthy lifestyle changes, some wish to help the environment by using less fuel. Regardless of the reason, this is a day to walk to school. Clearly if your children are young, you should walk with them. Millions of walkers celebrate this day every year. It appears to be celebrated on the first Wednesday of October.

National Kale Day - Kale is a superfood because it is chock full of vitamins and nutrients. We like to eat it wilted in a drizzle of flavored olive oil or in a stir fry, but there are lots of ways to eat it. I’m new to kale, I was always afraid to try it because I thought it would taste nasty. But I was pleasantly surprised and now I grow some in my garden every summer. This is celebrated on the first Wednesday of October.

Random Acts of Poetry Day - This is celebrated on the first Wednesday of October and is about sharing your poetry with the public by taking some chalk and writing your poem in public places like sidewalks, chalk boards, or writing it on paper and pinning it to a bulletin board somewhere. Be creative, but not destructive. No permanent markers or knife gouging in park benches.

October 3, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Boyfriend Day - Today we honor the boyfriends that are a part of our lives whether they are romantic boyfriends or platonic ones. Make sure they know how much you care about them today by giving them gifts, taking them out for a meal, or sitting down and telling them how you feel.

Mean Girls Appreciation Day - This is a day to celebrate the movie, Mean Girls.  Do you have any good quotes from the movie you can share? How about this one… “That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets.”

National Virus Appreciation Day – I'm not too sure about this one. Well, I’m sure that it exists, I’m just not sure why.  Perhaps someone can enlighten me about what there is to appreciate regarding viruses of any kind. There are living organisms that we call viruses that make us sick and there are computer viruses that make our computers sick. Either way, I don't appreciate them one little bit.

Butterfly and Hummingbird Day – Now this is a day I can appreciate. Who doesn't love butterflies and hummingbirds. I could watch them flit around all day. Beautiful and graceful and only around at certain times of the year, see if you can spot one today.

National Caramel Custard Day – I never eat custard, although right now I can't think why. I absolutely love caramel so I'll have to give this a try today. Here’s a recipe you can try that looks pretty easy.

World Temperance Day – I didn’t know anything about this day for a long time. But I have finally found out that it is a day to fight alcoholism throughout the world. In some countries, liquor stores will be closed today and there will be ceremonies mourning those lost due to alcoholism and alcohol related deaths. But mostly it is a day to spread awareness of the dangers of regular alcohol use to the body in general and the liver in particular.

Look at the Leaves Day - Are the leaves changing near you? You won’t know unless you look, so take some time to look at the leaves today. Hopefully they are very colorful where you are and making the trees look beautiful instead of already all sitting on the ground waiting to be raked up.

National Family TV Show Day - This is a day to have some family time. There are those who believe that it would be a good idea to have this particular day at least once a week. Sit down with your family and watch a TV show together. It might spark an important opening to talk about your values on a multitude of issues.

National Techies Day - A hundred years ago a techie would have had a hard time finding a job. But these days, we can’t go a day without needing a techie to help us with at least one of the multitude of gadgets that we use every day. Make sure you thank your favorite techie today.

October 2, 2017

Today we celebrate:

International Day of Non-violence – Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, this is a day to spread the message of non-violence all around the world through educational programs and public awareness. Again, this day was chosen to honor Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.

Guardian Angels Day – This day has been celebrated for a very long time. In the 16th century, Pope Clement X chose this day for the Feast of the Guardian Angels. On this day we should thank God for the guardian angel that He has given to each of us to inspire us to do good deeds and to protect us from evil and to guide us to God at the moment of our deaths.

National Custodial Workers Day – This is a day to recognize the dedicated, hard working people who keep our schools and businesses clean. It is often a thankless and unnoticed job, but we sure notice if it's not done because then we are surrounded by a mess. Make sure you talk to the custodians in your life today and thank them for their hard work.

Phileas Fogg's Wager Day – On this day in 1872, Phileas Fogg made his famous wager that the book “Around the World in Eighty Days” was based upon. He wagered 20,000 pounds that he could navigate around the world in eighty days. You'll have to check back with me on December 21st to see if he won the wager. Or, I suppose you could just look it up.

World Farm Animals Day or World Day for Farmed Animals – This day is dedicated to saving farm animals from being raised in deplorable conditions and then being slaughtered for food. It takes place on or near this day because this is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, a man who stood for non-violence toward animals and people.

Name Your Car Day – This is a day to get closer to your car. We depend on our vehicles to reliably get us to wherever we need to go. So we need to treat our cars right and that begins with giving it a really good name. We tend to care for things we name more than we do things we do not name. This is why if you have a farm, you have to be careful to avoid naming the animals you intend to eat.

National Fried Scallops Day – I love scallops any way I can get them, but fried scallops are particularly delicious, in my opinion. You can have the small bay scallops or the larger sea scallops. It’s easier to fry the sea scallops because they are bigger. Whichever you choose, make sure you don’t overcook them. They cook up very quickly and if you over do it, they will be tough and not very good.

World No Alcohol Day - I’m not sure if they created it, but the International Council of Nurses certainly endorses the celebration of this day. Alcohol is a factor in the deaths of 2.5 million people every year. If people could just show some self control and stop at one drink, it wouldn’t be a problem at all. But it is an addictive substance and far too many people cannot stop drinking once they start. So today, take a break from drinking completely. This day was chosen because it is the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.

World Day of Bullying Prevention / Blue Shirt Day - Celebrated on the first Monday in October, this is a day to stomp out bullying. Wear a blue shirt today to show solidarity to those who are being bullied and to spread the news that this behavior needs to stop.

Child Health Day – This is a day dedicated to protecting the health of the children of the United States. It is always celebrated on the first Monday of October.

World Habitat Day – This is also celebrated on the first Monday of October and is for the purpose of reminding the world that habitats are of vital importance whether they are for humans or animals. Many countries in the world have poor habitats for humans and fundraising events are happening today to raise money for poor communities around the world.

World Architecture Day - This day is also celebrated on July 1st, but in 1996 it was moved to the first Monday in October by the International Union of Architects. Not everyone agrees with the change so it is celebrated twice. The theme we are focused on this year is “Architecture, Building, Climate.” Architects have to be involved in plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because they need to design or remodel environmentally friendly buildings.

Day of Unity - First celebrated in October 1981 after being created by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, it quickly turned into a week devoted to activities designed to raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence. Then in 1987 it became a whole month devoted to the subject. During the month of October we mourn those who have died because of domestic violence, connect to people who have devoted their lives to ending the violence, and celebrate those among us who have escaped and lived to tell the tale. You’ll still see reference to this day on occasion (usually the first day of October), but no one devotes any time to celebrating just one day when they have the whole month to work with. And, by the way, it is not only women and children who suffer from domestic violence. Men can also be victims far more often than you might believe.