CELEBRATE APRIL

I saw a sign while driving the other day. It was a flashing sign that said “Work Zone Awareness Week.” I wasn’t sure if I should buy a cake, send a card or just be aware of work zones, which I kind of thought I already was. Shouldn’t we be aware of work zones whenever we drive? If we aren’t, we could, conceivably hurt someone or break our car through the simple act of being oblivious. There are a lot of similar celebrations that we are probably unaware of. I did a little research because I don’t want to walk through life with blinders on and because, like everyone else, I’m always looking for an excuse to have a party. I found some pretty good ones. Daily, weekly, monthly….people will celebrate just about anything, and why not? Some things just don’t get the recognition they deserve. April, for instance is Straw Hat Month. I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen anyone wearing a straw hat except in movies about the 20’s and 30’s when people wore straw hats on their Sunday walks by the river. It’s also Fair Housing Month, which in our economy is almost an oxymoron. There doesn’t seem to be very much that’s fair about the housing market these days. In April we have International Whistlers Week…for all of those people worldwide, who’ve forgotten the words. There is also Sky Awareness Week for everyone who’s apparently been looking down for the rest of the year. There is another week that, according to the calendar I am reading, is set aside for Passover or Pesach, whichever you want to celebrate. Take your pick. I don’t have the heart to tell them that Passover IS Pesach and vice-versa. And, who doesn’t get excited over Cowboy Poetry Week…..”There once was a varmint from Nantucket”…well, WEST Nantucket, but I think you get the picture. As for the celebratory days in April, there are far too many and too little space. Here are a few I thought you might enjoy: Tweed Day…..right smack, dab in the middle of Straw Hat Week…making April also Early 20th Century Fashion Statement Month. St. Stupid Day….that’s a mass celebration, attended by millions worldwide. They simply go though their lives just being themselves. They don’t even know it’s a holiday. There is Tangible Karma Day…I'll do a good deed if you give me something tangible in return. Cash is always nice karma. April 15th is, of course, Income Tax Day AND, ironically Take a Wild Guess Day, which has been my tax filing philosophy for as long as I can remember. It is also That Sucks Day, which, I imagine, is just a more creative way of saying Income Tax Day. There are others…..National Hairball Awareness Day, Hug an Australian Day, National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day and, my personal favorite, Blah! Blah! Blah! Day……you know that one. It falls on the 17th…yadda, yadda, yadda. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg and only for April. The other 11 months are equally as fulfilling when it comes to holidays that we’ve never knew existed, but, just reading through April began to make my head spin. As I continued my journey through the celebratory days, weeks and month long lists, I decided to try and find a day where absolutely nothing was going on…and I was hard pressed to find any. There is not a single day when something isn’t being feted. Not one day where we could say…..”Look, there is nothing happening today, why don’t we celebrate the peace and tranquility of nothing and call it “Nothing Day.” Too bad…it might have been a good reason to throw a party