Today is January 29th, 2023. Ra will soon begin his ride across our sky, and it will be a beautiful day. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” I try to follow Mr. Emerson’s advice. It’s all about attitude. Today is Curmudgeon’s Day, which I refuse to celebrate, Freethinkers Day, National Carnation Day, National Corn Chip Day, National Puzzle Day, and Seeing Eye Dog Day. Now let’s move on to history: On this day in 474 Zeno was crowned co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. I bring this up because Zeno is one of the stoic philosophers who said “The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less.” On this day in 1595 Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” was first performed. On this day in 1834 President Jackson ordered the 1st use of US Troops to suppress a labor dispute. I find it ironic that the use of force always favors the owners and never the workers. On this day in 1861 Kansas was admitted to the Union. The residence of Kansas voted to become a free state. On this day in 1863 US soldiers, in what is called the Bear River Massacre, attacked, and killed 500 Shoshone men, women and children camped in Idaho. This is one of the worst killings of Native Americans in US history. This is the day in 1892 that the Coca-Cola Company was incorporated in Atlanta GA. This is the day in 1964 that one of my favorite films “Dr. Strangelove” premiered. Today we can learn a thing or two from the poet Robert Frost. Robert said, “Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.” “A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes.” Last one: “If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.” I think Jimmy Buffett borrowed that line. Abide.
