We are now halfway through the first month of 2022. It’s January 15. Time moves at the same speed, but our perception of time doesn’t. If you allow yourself to get into a daily, always the same routine rut, time seems to fly. If, on the other hand, you stop to smell the roses, appreciate the small things, try to fill each day with fun, time seems to slow down. I’m doing my best to make each one move as slowly as possible. Here’s the list of celebratory events this day: National Bagel Day, Humanitarian Day, National Strawberry Ice Cream Day, National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day and National Hat Day. Have you ever had a New York Deli bagel with lox, cream cheese, red onions, and capers? If you haven’t, put it on your bucket list. Now onto the history of this date. The first footnote of interest is on this date in 1535 Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church in England. Henry who had 6 wives, had run England into the ground, had become very unpopular decided that he should become the head of the Church of England, and since he was the King, he did it. In 1870 the donkey was first used as the symbol of the Democratic Party. On this day in 1919 the Great Molasses Flood happened in Boston when a storage tank burst which held 2 million gallons of molasses. 21 people drowned and 150 were injured. In 1943 the world’s largest office building, the Pentagon was completed to house the US military. Finally, in 1961 Berry Gordy signs The Supremes with Motown Records. Since this is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., I’ll wrap up this post with some of his insights into the human condition: “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” “A productive and happy life is not something you find; it is something you make.” I’ll end with this one: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Abide.
