3/4 is one of the best days on the calendar if you ask me. Is the glass half full, or half-empty? Well, in this case, it is three-quarters. But that is not its goodness. It is one of those dates that actually give us instructions. It tells us what to do. March 4th.
March Forth.
It reminds us to carry on. To continue on our path. Where we are, in this time and place, is exactly where we are meant to be. Every moment since the beginning of time has lined up just to make this so. And now we are here in this moment, and then the next. So we march forth.
Good instructions, by design.
It has been a call for many others too. Some very good presidents have been inaugurated on March 4th throughout our history. There was Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Many other presidents have started out on this date as well. Those notable fellows, each one of them, moving our country forward.
In 1789, on March 4th, the first US Congress met and declared the constitution in effect. Another good start of things. Marching forth.
I like the date. It holds special meaning for me. It reminds me that sometimes we need to carry on, no matter how impossible the road ahead may seem. We move forward.
But, I surely don’t want to ruffle any feathers. There are 365 other dates on the calendar, which are all perfectly good, like February 29, October 2 June 18, and the others, to and fro, and back again.
Take the entire month of August. The eating month. 8/1. Ate one. Ate two, ate three, and on it goes.
The giving month of April, depending on how many you are giving to. There’s 4/1 for one. For two, 4/2. Most notably in restaurants, when you are asking for a table. How many? Table for four. 4/4. And more.
Of course, May is polite. May I? Yes, you may.
But none are quite as cool as March Fourth.
The month itself is named for Mars, the Roman god of war. But there are a lot of other ways to march, then into war. Look at all those good marching bands tooting their horns.
March’s birthstones are aquamarine and bloodstone. These stones symbolize courage. Its birth flower is the daffodil, another sign of new things to come. And the zodiac signs for the month of March are Pisces (until March 20) and Aries (March 21 onwards).
As to this date? Lot has happened throughout history, from Lucille Ball & Desi Arnez’s divorce, all the way to the maiden voyage of the Hindenburg. Martha Stewart was released from prison, too.
So there it is, for all to see. For some, it’s just another date. But for me?
Well, I’ve been given my marching instructions.
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“Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.”
― Tim Fargo
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“Not only try but try your best!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan
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“Good people aren’t always good. They just try to be.”
― Maxwell King, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers
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