January 11, 2024 is here. I’m going to start with a quote from Khalil Gibran “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” It’s a good quote and a good philosophy. The holidays for the 11th day of January are: Gil Hug Boy Day, Healthy Weight, Healthy Look Day, Hot Toddy Day, International Thank You Day, Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day, Milk Day, National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day, and Secret Pal Day. I don’t see a party in this list. Now history: On this day in 1569 the world’s first national lottery was held in England. 1st prize was $5,000 pounds. On this day in 1838 Samuel Morse demonstrated sending messages using dots and dashes. On this day in 1897 Martha Hughes Cannon took office as the 1st woman state senator in the US (Utah) after defeating her own husband. This is the day in 1964 that the first government report by the US Surgeon General that warned that smoking may be hazardous to your health. On this day in 1999 Jon Stewart became the host of “The Daily Show”. On this day in 2024 a study was released that found that the largest great ape, standing 10 feet tall, from southern China went extinct because of climate change between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago. Wow. I started with Khalil Gibran so I’ think I’ll end with him. Kahlil said, “We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.” “Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.” “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” “Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.” “Tortoises can tell you more about the road than hares.” I like that one. I’m sure it’s true. Enough for this day. Be well. Abide.
