February 5th, 2022. While I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I looked at the news headlines. That was a big mistake. My goal is to start each day with a positive attitude. Starting it off with breaking news about shootings, obvious racism, and political chaos isn’t helpful. I do intend to ignore the bad news and focus what’s good. I intend to have fun on this day, and I’m determined to purse happiness. I’m glad to be alive and that’s a good way to start this day which is National Shower with a Friend Day, National Weatherperson’s Day, World Nutella Day, International Pisco Sour Day, National Chocolate Fondue Day, Western Monarch Day and (drum roll) National Fart Day. Yes, passing wind gets its own day. If someone asks you to pull their finger, they are just celebrating. Moving onto the historical footnotes of this day: On this day in 1428 King Alfonso V, ordered Sicily’s Jews to attend conversion sermons. In 1597 a group of early Japanese Christians, known as the 26 Martyrs, were killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society. On this day in 1870 the 1st motion picture was shown to a theater audience in Philadelphia. This is the day in 1978 that a blizzard formed in the Northeast and 100 people died in New England and New York over 3 days. Today I’m going to stop at the headstone of Thomas Carlyle who passed in 1881. He was a Scottish cultural critic, historian, lecturer and philosopher. Here are a few of his observations for you to think about: “The past is always attractive because it is drained of fear.” “Without kindness there can be no true joy.” “Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of man you are.” “The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss.” I’ll end with “Of all your troubles, great and small, the greatest are the ones that don’t happen at all.” Abide.
