I like to think this pigeon is seizing his moment as he drinks of the public fountain in Portland, Ore.
“This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
I’ve had my eye on this date on the calendar for several weeks now.
As if February wasn’t weird enough with its short number of days, we add another one just for good measure every four years.
Culturally, the day has little relevance for us now, other than screwing up the learning process of grade schoolers who are struggling with nuances of phonics, school lunches and why your favorite marker always run out of ink when you need to color a worksheet of a car?
Traditionally, however, the day has been known for its role reversal where women were able to ask for a man’s hand in marriage. So the single male population will exhale in relief tomorrow, thankful Leap Day occurs once every four years.
While this day has some sort of astronomical importance, today is a day that I hopefully become a true prophet.
A good friend of mine is expecting a child. She’s due any minute. And weeks ago at her shower, I, along with all the other women there, wrote down our predictions for the baby’s time of arrival.
So if my calculations are correct, baby should be coming February 29, 2016. Today.
Her baby would be known as a Leapling! How darling!
I’ve been teasing my friend about Leap Day, and so has everyone else she knows. I think it’s hysterical. My friend… not so much. But if you put me in a competition, I’m going to try and win. So forgive me if my friend receives a bouquet of hot wings on her doorstep today with a delivery of spicy Chinese food for dessert.
But for the rest of us who aren’t expecting a baby, today is just another day. It’s a Monday — we can’t even finagle the Powers-That-Be to make this into a floating bonus holiday — and we’re back at the grind.
I can’t completely let this day go as “just another day,” however. How many of us have pleaded for just one more hour in a day? Or for just another day in the week? You ask for another hour on those perfect days that end with feet by a fire or snuggled with loved ones. You ask for another day when your beach vacation comes to an end.
So for one day in one year, we’ve gotten what we’ve asked for — that extra day to extend our happinesses, our peace, our comfort.
What will you do with your extra day?
The Latin instruction is carpe diem.
Seize this day.
~ Dusty