By Chris Watson
…such a February face, So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness.
–Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare
There are reasons why February is short…good reasons. Here along the Great Lakes the weather is generally miserable. Football season ends. March Madness is in…well…March. Lent usually starts, much to bane of people who don’t like fish or cheese. There is Valentine’s Day, which is cool if you are in love but if you are not it is a pretty in your face reminder of a missing element in your life. And the less said about President’s Day and Groundhog Day the better. In other words not a banner month.
This year in particular February seems to be an odd mix of good things and bad. Right off the bat Lent starts on Valentine’s Day. So if you did indulge in chocolate for your sweetie it may end up going to waste. Or more importantly, you may get blamed for endangering your sweetheart’s soul. Either way, it is a bad bit of timing. Punxsatawney Phil sent his first, and we can assume only, tweet of the year indicating that he saw his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter. You can follow Phil at @punxsatawneyphil…if you really want to. In case you were wondering, groundhogs (or woodchucks) are in the squirl family; neither of which is known as an “intelligent” species. In Alaska they use marmots instead of groundhogs which hardly seems an improvement.
Still, there are some cool things happening. It is the Winter Olympics, where young people have worked for the better part of 4 years to compete on the slopes and ice of South Korea. And in perfect Olympic harmony both North and South Korea have put aside their not inconsiderable differences to celebrate this peaceful event on their peninsula. Besides, watching the Olympics is way better than binge watching Netflix or worrying about which NBA star will whine next.
In our area it is fish fry time. From VFW’s to almost every church, fish nights and frys are back and with a vengeance. We are going to try and list as many of them in our Regional Action Calendar. There is almost no reason to cook on a Friday in our area.
Chinese New Year begins on the 16th. It is the year of the dog. Although not as flashy as
dragon or tiger, dogs tend to be less needy and/or self involved. Frankly, we could all use a bit less of that and a bit more loyalty.
It also turns out that there is a host of other things to celebrate this month. Here is a short list, or long list, depending on your mood:
- Adopt A Rescued Rabbit Month
- African-American History Month
- AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
- American Heart Month
- American History Month
- Bake for Family Fun Month
- Berry Fresh in the Sunshine State Month
- Black History/Heritage Month (Canada)
- Chocolate Lover’s Month
- Creative Romance Month
- Deaf History Month
- Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
- Festival of Camellias Month
- From Africa to Virginia Month
- Great American Pies Month
- Greek-American Heritage Month
- Human Relations Month
- International Boost Self-Esteem Month
- Irish-American Heritage Month
- Library Lovers Month
- Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month
- Marijuana Awareness Month
- Mental Retardation Awareness Month
- National African American History Month (Black History)
- National Bird Feeding Month
- National Black History Month (African American)
- National Boost-Your-Self-Esteem Month
- National Canned Food Month
- National Care About Your Indoor Air Month
- National Cherry Pie Month
- National Children’s Dental Health Month
- National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month
- National Condom Month
- National Craft Month
- National Dental Month
- National Get To Know an Independent Real Estate Broker Month
- National Grapefruit Month
- National Hot Breakfast Month
- National Laugh-Friendly Month
- National Mend A Broken Heart Month
- National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month
- National Parent Leadership Month
- National Pet Dental Health Month
- National Senior Independence Month
- National Snack Food Month
- National Sweet Potato Month
- National Time Management Month
- National Weddings Month
- National Women’s History Month
- North Carolina Sweet Potato Month
- Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month
- Relationship Wellness Month
- Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
- Spiritual Wellness Month
- Spunky Old Broads Month
- Sweet Potato Month
- Wise Health Care Consumer Month
- Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
Of course, National Get To Know an Independent Real Estate Broker Month is a pretty big stretch, as is Pet Dental Month. But what is not to love about Spunky Old Broads Month and National Snack Food Month? Those might actually be good things to celebrate year round.
So if you are having the winter blues find something on the list to celebrate. Check out a local restaurant or event and get out of the house. Or, if you are really down with a bout of cabin fever, befriend an Independent Real Estate Broker. You never know when their services might come in handy.
