I saw one of those polls on Facebook. A friend posted it. The question was, “What do you dislike that everyone else likes?” Or something along those lines.
Some of the answers were golden. And I agreed with so many of them.
But one of those things that I don’t like is the National Day. It seems that every day has become National Day for something. We have so many National Days, I’m not sure we can ever get anything else done as a nation.
Take, for instance, today. May 16th is:
NATIONAL LOVE A TREE DAY
NATIONAL BARBECUE DAY
NATIONAL HONOR OUR LGBT ELDERS DAY
NATIONAL DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR DAY
NATIONAL MIMOSA DAY
NATIONAL SEA MONKEY DAY
NATIONAL COQUILLES SAINT JACQUES DAY
NATIONAL BIOGRAPHER’S DAY
NATIONAL TAKE YOUR PARENTS TO THE PLAYGROUND DAY
NATIONAL PIERCING DAY
As I typically post my writings near day’s end, you have probably been celebrating your butt off today, with all that is going on.
I understand that people have passion in their lives for things. They truly feel intensity about some portion of their being. For some, this is artistic, like painting, music, writing, or ballet. Perhaps it is an athletic endeavor, like mountain climbing or running marathons. Or a cerebral venture of math or science.
But what kind of person is so enamored with Mimosas that they need to petition for a National Mimosa Day? It takes a lot of work to get these things approved, I would imagine.
And. While I loved a good Sea Monkey growing up, it didn’t leave a big enough mark to inspire me into creating a National Day for them.
I mean, how does one observe National Sea Monkey Day? We know where they came from, mostly. Sea Monkeys are a type of brine shrimp. They received their catchy name because of their monkey-tail thing. They were a little bit see-through, too, I think.
They came about following the popularity of the ant farms. A guy named Harold von Braunhut invented the “Sea Monkeys” hatching kits in 1957. As many of us know, he did most of his advertising through comic books. I can remember giving my mom the “pitch” for me sending away for Sea Monkeys, the comic book in hand.
These little swimmers have made their appearances on television shows including “Spin City, Roseanne, Night Court, South Park, The Simpsons, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and Desperate Housewives.” I’ve never seen them in a Hollywood role.
But get this. Sea Monkeys also went into space with astronaut John Glenn on October 29, 1998, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. They came back down to Earth after spending nine days in space. Their eggs hatched eight weeks later, just fine. Little astronauts.
But after all that, I’m still not sure what we should do on Sea Monkey Day? Or do we even want to?
And do we really need a Coquilles Saint Jacques Day? I thought it was a person. But no. It is a seafood scallop dish with a mixture of butter, cream, mushrooms, and cheese. Do we need a day for a menu item? Really? And who are these people who follow Coquilles Saint Jacques Day?
All I’m saying is that these National Day’s have gotten way out of hand.
I don’t know how many National Days we have each year, but if the item count for each day is ten, as we see today, we would have 3,650 National Days each year. Warp speed, Sulu.
The fact is, every day is the day. Plain and simple. We don’t need National Days or even holidays for all that matters. If we want to embrace the character of whatever the thing is, we should do it every day. If Sea Monkeys make you happy, don’t wait until May 16th to show it. Just be happy.
And if Coquilles Saint Jacques Day makes you feel content and complete, grab hold of that feeling every day.
Albeit, the last one? National Piercing Day? You may want to leave that one alone for the other 364. Or quit drinking water.
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“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”
-Anthony J. D’Angelo
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“It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.”
-T. S. Eliot
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“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
-Benjamin Franklin
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Today is the day, so don’t wait. Nationally speaking.
