Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  No, I'm not a month late.  Tomorrow begins the Lunar New Year (also called Chinese New Year even though other Asian countries celebrate) so get ready for the lion dances and fireworks and a whole lot of tradition. 

 

Now it may seem odd to you that I am even mentioning this, but a good way to be part of this world, I think, is to understand the customs of others and to join in their celebrations.  Today is the start of the year of the horse, but just exactly what does that mean and why is everyone's house so clean and why did men get haircuts today and what about the ban on buying shoes for the next month?  Hey, these are just some of the questions you may encounter as you begin your observance, especially if it's for the first time.

 

Here in the United States today is not a legal holiday and in some communities you might not even see much happening, but go to China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan and it's a whole different story.  Not only is today a holiday, but the first three days of the year are!  What to do?  Well, no showering for one thing!  There are tons of traditions, many of them superstitions about food, shopping, cleaning, and getting together with others on this day.  It's really interesting to know about them and I urge you to look up more of the specifics (there really isn't room to tell you more here).

 

While you might not understand many of the customs, an important thing here is respect.  If an individual or family you know is observing the day in a manner that seems odd to you, is it really your place to judge?  Try to find out more and to understand the various customs.  One important thing to remember - Lunar New Year is a celebration and in the end it's really about having a great time with family and friends, so don't sweat the small stuff.

 

Happy New Year!

what is today

If you are as old as I am, you will recall when every February we had two holidays celebrating the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 and his birthday was celebrated as a holiday on that date from 1879 until 1970. Along came the first change.

To give federal employees a three-day weekend, in 1968 the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved several holidays, this one to the third Monday in February (which can occur from February 15 to the 21st). The day soon became known as Presidents Day to honor Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays together, any single president of choice, or to remember all the U.S. presidents,

The odd things is that there is no uniformity. Today goes by different names depending on the state you are in.  Among those who use the title Presidents Day, should there be an apostrophe and if so, should it be before or after the letter S?

Does any of this matter?  Well, I'm sure there are differing thoughts on that too.  I will say this:  If you have the day off from school or work, make the most of it.  Enjoy the day!

We are here to enrich the world

It is very pleasing to me when I see someone else say what I am saying here in this blog every day. We are here to make the world better and to give back. (That's what I think anyway, and that's why I write about it in this blog). I know one of the reasons many of you read this is because you agree. Right? It's been especially nice this week seeing all the positive energy from Washington and around the country, which I certainly hope will continue.

I also write in a separate blog about kindness. Being kind to everyone is certainly a great way to make a difference and to enrich our world. I think that kindness enriches our world.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th US President (early 1900s) apparently agreed too. He said "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."

Thank you President Wilson. I totally agree! Let's all keep enriching the world!

Valentine correctness

When I was in school, kids would bring in Valentine cards to exchange with other kids in their class and sometimes with other classes as well.  There was a problem though.  It ended up being a popularity contest.  A new kid who wasn't known or the students who weren't as popular might not get any cards at all.  Instead, they would have hurt feelings and would go home crying at the end of the day. 

  

It isn't just about the kids either.  There is so much pressure to remember Valentine's Day that some people try to outdo each other.  If there are four women in an office and one gets a huge bouquet from her husband, will the other three feel bad?  Will they think that their own partners have let them down because no gift comes or it there is one perhaps it is not as "showy."

 

Today is going to require some creativity.  Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day?  Has Valentine's Day become too commercial?  Is there something we should change?  How would it be if we celebrated love every single day?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Friday

Everybody gets excited about Friday.  Of course, the reason is because many folks don't work on the weekend and for those going to school, that is almost always a Monday through Friday situation.  Yeah!  Friday is here!  I'm so happy!  Tomorrow is Valentine's Day too - another reason to be happy.

Of course it's Friday the thirteenth, so many won't be happy.  Oh my!  Don't be fooled.  There are no unlucky days.

 

Well, I'm always ready for a good celebration and being happy for two days off from work is certainly not a bad thing, but shouldn't we be happy EVERY day?

 

Don't like going to school?  Perhaps you are not taking the right classes.  Hate your job or unhappy with the way things are right now at work?  Do something about it.  Perhaps it's time for a change.  Instead of rejoicing when Friday arrives, we should celebrate every single day of the week.  Mondays don't have to be a dreaded day.  We can have our Friday kind of happiness every single day of he year.

 

Happy days are upon us.  Let's see that they are ALL happy!

Calling all heroes

Here in this space I write about all kinds of heroes.  Some are enduring heroes and some only for a moment for one action they did.  There is also a lot of disagreement about who is a hero.  I have written here that Colin Kaepernick is a hero, but I got a number of responses disagreeing with me.  Can singers and dancers be heroes?  What about an actor?  How about politicians?  Perhaps your big brother is your hero.

Who do YOU call a hero?  What is it that makes them a hero?  Is it one thing or many things that they do?  Did they perform some incredible act? Do we need heroes in our lives these days?  What do YOU think?  Let us hear from you in the comments section below.  Is there someone who is a hero to you?

Maybe there is a better word for it.  I'd like to know about that too.

Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, the fourth day of the week (except for folks who don't count Sunday and then, today is the third day).  It is the name of the little girl Addams.  Wednesday is also a song by Tori Amos, the name of a couple of different films, a 70s pop band from Canada, and an opera.  The poem says that Wednesday's child is full of woe. 

 

It is often called "hump day" because it falls in the middle of the standard Monday through Friday work week and so once you finish Wednesday, you are "over the hump."

 

The are many significant things that can be said about this day, but I happen to think that all seven days of the week have special significance.  We can do great things every single day of our life - it really doesn't matter what day it is!  Since Wednesday though is the day upon us, let's go out and make it a wonderful one!