On This Day: June 8th … Strange Holidays
Best Friends Day
Name Your Poison Day
World Ocean Day
National Upsy Daisy Day
Call Your Doctor Day
Decision decisions—which three to do?
National Upsy Daisy Day
Listen, I know it’s early, and you probably had a late night, and I know that that bed you’re in is about the coziest thing you can think of ever being in. Getting up and getting going can be a challenge, but with a fresh attitude and a positive outlook on the day, it can make getting up a whole lot easier. A great attitude gets you off to a smooth start, with none of the grumble and drag that normally accompanies your mornings. Upsy Daisy Day is your reminder to greet the day bright and cheerful, and be an Upsy Daisy.
Just for today, assume that everything is going to go your way. This doesn’t mean you won’t have your bump’s; it just means that when they happen you’ll shrug them off and take a moment to appreciate how little those little setbacks really matter. A bright attitude makes hard tasks easier and it makes things that were once difficult and seemingly impossible become a breeze to manage. It really is all on how you treat the day, and treating it as a glorious, amazing gift rather than a burden you have to make it through is a great start.
Name Your Poison Day
In modern parlance, "name your poison" is a phrase most commonly spoken by a bartender when they ask a patron what type of drink they are having. Name Your Poison Day is a day dedicated to making decisions and choices, whether they be among good or bad options. But, since "poison" is in the phrase, there is a negative connotation and more often than not the day is about choosing among various bad options.
Celebrate the day by making a decision and it doesn't matter if you are picking among good or bad options. This is a great day to go to the bar and "name your poison". If you are a bartender, this is the phrase you should be using all day to ask patrons what they want to drink. If you have other vices or poisons that you indulge in, today you get a free pass. If you are a smoker, go to a gas station and name what brand of cigarettes you want. Go to the most unhealthy restaurant and "name your poison" there as well. It's okay—you can get the double bacon cheeseburger with a side of bacon. This is also a good day to listen to 80's hair metal band Poison, or the Alice Cooper song "Poison". It's a good day to watch the film Poison, or Arsenic and Old Lace. You can choose between the two; just "name your poison"!
Best Friends Day
Whether they’re near or far, old or new, best friends help to carry us through our lives. This June 8, National Best Friends Day, it’s time to tell them how much we appreciate their company. As the Mayo Clinic reports: “Friends help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss, or the death of a loved one. They also encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise.” Today’s the day to enjoy a little one-on-one time with the people who never fail to catch us when we fall.
We have our own country to thank for this lighthearted holiday. In 1935, the U.S. Congress gathered to devote a day each year in tribute to close friends. They chose June 8, which is usually a balmy day in all regions of the country—perfect for outdoor activities. Since then, many other countries have adopted the practice. Some even throw festivals to celebrate their chosen family.
This holiday has given rise to a handful of other friendship-themed days for celebration, including Friendship Day, Women’s Friendship Day, and even an entire week called Old Friends, New Friends Week. Ironically, almost all celebrations of friendship occur in the summer.
More Strange Holidays Coming!