On This Day: November 20th … Strange Holidays
Absurdity Day
Beautiful Day
National Sardines Day
Universal Children’s Day
Somehow, and maybe it is me, but I think in all absurdity that having a holiday named after sardines, is just plain freaky. How absurd is that?
So I will bypass those two and lean more toward stuff that just sounds more important.
Beautiful Day
Funny in a sense how days change so quickly. Yesterday, it was have a bad day, and today it is have a beautiful day.
Today is going to be a beautiful day in every way, shape, and form. The world is filled with ugliness. So, as day like today is refreshing, and eye appealing. It's filled with beautiful sights, sounds and smells.
Wait a minute. Just what was Beautiful Day created for? I couldn’t find a creator for this holiday or a reason for it. So suffice it to say, have yourself a beautiful day.
Here is my take, being the speculative person, for why this day may have been created:
A song by the band U2 is titled Beautiful Day.
The Beautiful Day monster appeared on Ed Sullivan and later Sesame Street. The monster created mayhem and chaos, in his attempt to ruin a beautiful day.
It's creator wanted to create and enjoy the perfect, beautiful day.
The Beach Boys song It's a Beautiful Day.
Oh What A Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma
Universal Children’s Day
If you ever want to get confused about when a holiday is held, What I found is that there are really a number of Children's Day observances around the world. Here are just a few I found with the most common listed first. So don’t be surprised down the road you see any (or more) along these lines again. If this had been anything else other than kids, I would say this is absurd.
Universal Children's Day: Observed on November 20th each year. In 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should establish a Universal Children's Day on an "appropriate" day. I’m not sure, but perhaps each country did.....at various different dates during the year. The resolution was adopted on November 20, 1954.
International Children's Day: The second Sunday in December. This is a joint initiative between UNICEF and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. It's a day when broadcasters "tune in to kids".
World Children's Day: Always November 20th. This is a day McDonald's uses as a fund raiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities. The first official WCD was held on November 20th, 2002 and was celebrated around the world as a way to celebrate children and benefit RMHC chapters around the world. This now annual celebration is officially held on November 20th each year, however fundraising opportunities often extend beyond the day.
Children's Day in Japan: This is a national holiday in Japan celebrated on May 5th. Started in 1948, Children's Day is a festive day to celebrate your child's life. The holiday is believed to have begun in China where they would hang medicinal herbs to ward off childhood diseases. In Japan it is often celebrated by giving children kites and hanging streamers.
In Japan, the Children's Festival was originally called the "Boy's Festival" while the girls had the "Doll Festival".
Children's Day in other countries is celebrated in other countries, often on different dates and with varying customs.
More strange holidays are coming!
My Advice
Ah, the good ol’ pitfall: A new and brilliant idea.
How do we stick to our one book and finish it? Even when all these new ideas are hitting the windows of our mind and they are begging to be let in? The answer? Perseverance, discipline, and determination.
Okay, let’s quickly look at the definitions of these words (Thank you, Merriam-Webster!):
Perseverance: “the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition”
Discipline: “control gained by enforcing obedience or order ; orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior ; self-control”
Determination: “a firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end.”
If you want to write a book, and finish it, you have to persevere (despite all the opposition of new ideas). You have to be disciplined (so, control yourself). And you have to be determined (be firm in keeping to your writing of that book).
Easier said than done, I know. Those new ideas are tantalizing. Your mind is spinning with all the potential hiding in that one idea. You are busy with this book, but your mind is on that new idea. And before you know it, you are certain that the new idea is just a better project to work on for now.
But stick to your book, even when you hit the bottom and writer’s block is drowning you under all the emptiness.
Another tip I read once is to get yourself an accountability partner. If you are accountable to another person, you are more likely to get things done. Or...use the rewards method.
The latter method allows you to work toward a goal that you really want to complete. When you reach the finish line, you get a reward (usually something that you REALLY want; just be realistic in setting this reward, please). You could even add in a reasonable deadline, with a punishment for not making the deadline. Maybe the punishment is that you don’t get that wished-for reward, but when you finally finish the book you get something else...Still a reward, just not something you want as much as you wanted your original reward.
Anyways, that’s my advice. But, who am I to speak? I am busy working on my fifth book, or so. Are its predecessors complete? Nope...Why? Because I found a new idea. So, I’m still learning. But I’m desperately trying to follow my own advice, and maybe I’ll finally get somewhere now.
Ice or Fire?
A heart of stone...To not be affected by other's actions. By their words. This heart allows for you to cut yourself from other people and to never be affected by all the knives they try to wedge into your heart. Then again, with this heart, they cannot press those knives in. So, there's no pain. And there is no love...
A heart of flesh...To care about what others say, especially loved ones. To be affected by other's actions. This heart allows for you to know one of the most beautiful emotions in this whole world: L-O-V-E, Nat King Cole-style. Sorry, that's off topic (Though it's a great song!)...A heart of flesh feels pain. A heart of flesh is usually sensitive. It's easy to hurt somebody with this heart; whether or not you mean to hurt them.
So, cold or warm? There should never be an in-between. And in this case, we are not considering the lukewarm heart. We are considering the ice and the fire.
A person with a heart of stone is a bugbear to others (bugbear: an object or source of dread). After all, who likes the company of cold people (except for those of us who are weirdos)? But, a person with a heart of flesh draws us in. We want to talk to them. We want to be with them. They are a sunflower, and we are the hungry eyes. The eyes that are drawn to that yellow, to that light.
Personally, I would like to be a blessing to others. I want to be the reason they smile, the reason they laugh, and the reason their eyes glow. Also, I'm a hopeless romantic. And I want to be one.
What is more beautiful than love? What is more beautiful than a smile, especially the smile that is contained in the heart and shown through the eyes? What is more beautiful than somebody who is loving, caring, helpful, patient, faithful, and all those beautiful qualities that I'm not going to take the time to name now? These are qualities that are never manifested in a heart of stone; only in a heart of flesh.
So, for me, it is a heart of flesh. All. The. Way.
Precipitation
Why does it rain homework
And not snow?
It's winter
Well, almost
We should get snow
Not more school
I'm mentally exhausted
I can't take no more
I need some cleaning snow
To clear the air
My mind
My life
Snowmen
Snowball fights
Sledding
Hot chocolate
Sweaters
Cute hats
Mistletoe
Yes, I'll have to ride the bus
Broken cars are stupid
But still
Snow
I'm knee deep in homework
Not snow
This isn't right
This shouldn't be right
So please snow
For me
Just snow
Let us laugh again
Let us laugh again once more
as we once did before
howling, like hounds at the moon.
Let us be crazy and inane
insipid, outrageous, and insane
poking the fat belly of doom
We’ll skewer the righteous and pious
nothing will escape or get by us
we’ll tear down this shroud of gloom
We’ll bang again the dead parrot
take up Johns mantle and wear it
and silly walk like fools in full bloom
Pen to the Paper 3: The Announcement
The auditorium was nearly full. Pretty soon, Pen to the Paper will have to move to a much, much larger location. Dare I say, a football stadium? No. Don’t get too ahead of yourself…
The audience sat in silence, looking at the dark figure on the stage.
It has begun. Colored lights began dancing on the stage, smoke began pouring over the stage. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” an unfamiliar voice called through a microphone. “WELCOME TO THE WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PEN TO THE PAPER 3!!!”
The auditorium went dark. The smoke in the room cleared.
A light was turned on, and everyone in the audience gasped as they looked on the unfamiliar man on stage. His bright red hair seemed to glow under the stage lights.
“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“GET OFF THE STAGE!”
“WHERE’S CALEB AT!?”
“I regret to inform you, but Caleb was unable to make it tonight… he’s in the hospital recovering from a trash compactor incident. My name is George, and I’ll be your host tonight.”
“Will he be okay? Will he ever be able to host again?” several audience members asked.
“Yes, he’ll be back. Though, from what I have heard, he may be a little… square.”
The sound of someone vomiting could be heard resonating throughout the auditorium.
“Yeah, it’s bad. On the bright side, he has vowed to never be late to starting this challenge again.
“Now, on with the show. The winner of the competition is--”
“HEY! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND STARTS WITH THE WINNER!?”
George laughed nervously. “Oh, sorry. I’m new to this hosting thing. In third we have A Ride for Two by Sanjana S. In second we have--”
“Dude, are you even trying?” a man in the front asked.
“What did I do wrong now?”
“Why are they in third? Why are they so high? What did he like about that entry specifically?”
“Oh, let me check my notes… A Ride for Two is beautiful and he liked it a lot.”
“BOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
“GET OFF THE STAGE!!”
Tomatoes began flying towards the stage, sending George flying out of the auditorium.
The crowd fell silent. “What now?” someone asked.
“Maybe check his notes?” someone else offered.
Just as they came to this conclusion, they heard a noise from behind the curtains.
A box walked onto stage, picked up the notes and the microphone, and then walked back into the spotlight.
“Hey, guys! I made it!”
Everyone looked in horror at their favorite person in the world. I had been turned into a cube with arms, legs, and a face.
“If you don’t know, it’s me: Caleb.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not at all. I hurt in every way imaginable. But I deserved it, so,” I said. “Now, who’s ready for the announcement of the winner?”
The crowd cheered.
“In third place, we have Sanjana’s A Ride for Two. I loved this poem. It was beautiful, and the story it told was just lovely.
“In second, we have GLD’s outstanding Nature and Me. I absolutely loved how he compared nature to himself and to his emotions. It was incredible, and, if you haven’t already, I suggest that you read it.
“In first, we have blackbrain with THIS CLOUD, THAT CLOUD. In this, he sits down at a park and watches the clouds. He says this cloud looks like this, and that cloud looks like this. Towards the end, I will not lie, he almost had me in tears. One of his comparisons was very… sad. It was a pleasant read. I really, really enjoyed reading it.
“Now for some honorable mentions. Bring It Down by Raemares was lovely. Just so you guys know: mobile is the worst. She had it formatted in the loveliest way, and, due to me being on mobile, I had no idea how to read it until I logged onto a computer.
″The White Spot by Buzz54 was very touching. As someone who was unable to see his grandfather when he was in a diabetic coma, this touched me deeply. I thought I was going to lose him, and yet, I was too young to visit him.
“Last, but not least, for our honorable mentions we have Defy the Odds. Your works never cease to amaze me, nightscribbler. I loved your poem.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight!”
The audience cheered and congratulated the winners.
I began my walk off stage. On my way, I slipped on a tomato.
“Uhm, guys,” I said as I began struggling to get to my feet. “Can you help me up?”
