This day is called January 14, 2024. Have you decided who you want to be today? Sounds like a stupid question but it really isn’t. In the category of “I wish I’d known that” falls the idea that we can become the person we want to be by filtering what we allow ourselves to think and what we do. Following in this revelation’s footsteps is the saying “It’s never too late to be a better version of you.” Moving on. Today is Feast of the Ass (as in donkey), International Kite Day, National Dress up Your Pet Day, National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day, National Sunday Supper Day, Organize Your Home Day, and World Logic Day. A stacked New York Pastrami sandwich from the Carnegie Deli (no longer in business) is one of my wonderful gastronomical memories. Now some history: On this day in 1601 Church authorities in Rome burned Hebrew books. On this day in 1641 the Dutch East India company conquered the city of Malacca (near Singapore) killing 7,000. Think about this for a second. The Dutch East Inda Company was a commercial for-profit enterprise charted in the Netherlands with its own mercenary army and navy. In 1699 on this day Massachusetts held a day of fasting for wrongly persecuting “witches”. In 1761 the 3rd battle of Panipat was fought between the Muslims and Hindus. When the day was over between 60,000 and 70,000 had been killed and then the Hindus massacred around 40,000 prisoners. Wow. To end the history portion of this post on a more positive note, in 1956 on this day Little Richard released “Tutti Frutti”. Today I will use the quotes of John Dos Passos who was an American novelist that died in 1970. John said, “War is utter damn nonsense, a vast cancer fed by lies and self-seeking malignity on the part of those who don’t do the fighting.” “I’ve always though you should concentrate on paddling your own canoe.” “We work to eat to get the strength to work to eat to get the strength to work.” “Letters are largely written to get things our of your system.” The same can be said for posts, poems and song lyrics. Abide.
