This is the 11th day of 2021. I would like to say “so far, so good” but that doesn’t fit our reality. I get the feeling that the rest of the world is looking at us and wondering “WTF is wrong with you people.” All I can do is shrug my shoulders, ignore the chaos and focus on my little bubble. Let’s see if there’s something on today’s list of events that can distract me: Girl Hug Boy Day, Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, National Milk Day, Hot Toddy Day, National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day, Secret Pal Day and Clean Off Your Desk Day. I think I’ll clean off my desk today. Time for a fresh look and a fresh start to each day. Now to history: In 1693 Mt Etna in Sicily erupts with an estimated 7.4 magnitude, killing around about 60,000. In 1813 the 1st pineapples are planted in Hawaii. The pineapple is from South America. In 1879 on this date, the Anglo-Zulu War begins. I bring this fact up because the movie Zulu made in 1964 is one of my very favorite movies. If you’ve never seen it, you’ve missed out on a great war movie. In 1922 Insulin is first used on humans to treat diabetes. And, in 1984 the score was Denver Nuggets 163 and San Antonio Spurs 155 in the highest scoring NBA gave ever played. Not much D in that game. This happens to be the birthday (1842) of William James who is called the Father of American psychology. He said, “Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” In other words, it’s your attitude that creates your own reality. I work every day to keep my attitude in a positive place. I chose the word “work” specifically. This is also the day that Ambrose Bierce drew his final breath at the age of 71 in the year 1914. He was a writer and satirist. Judging from his quotes, he spent much of his time coming up with new meanings for common words “Conservative, n: A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others.” and “Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.” That should be enough for this day. Wear the damn mask. Abide.
