For some, love is in the air. For others, the only thing they want is a pack of air fresheners to get rid of the stink. Yes, Valentine’s day is near, and the constant reminders—giant teddy bears and shelves upon shelves of little chocolates packed into heart-shaped boxes—make it hard to imagine that February is important for any other reason. But it is! Here are a number of reasons why February should be remembered.
This month has an interesting ability; every four years it changes. Well, not actually. If you read the last blog (https://resideresidential.org/2015/01/09/new-year-new-information/), you know that January and February were added by Julius Caesar to the Roman Calendar. Because it takes the Earth about 365 and a quarter days to move about the sun, a leap year is recognized and one day is added to the shortest month to compensate for the difference between our calendar year and the solar year.
In Canada and the United States, Black History Month is celebrated, the current queen of England was crowned on February 6th, 1952, Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th and George Washington was born on the 22nd, the Boy Scouts were established in February of 1910, Argentina celebrates the National Day of Sun, February 24th is Mexico’s Flag day, and the Phillipines celebrate People Power Revolution on the 25th. And, of course, Valentine’s Day is on the 14th.
February is pretty busy, despite it’s shorter time-frame. Between the hype of its more popular holidays, there’s a lot that we miss out on though, and I think what’s important is kind of forgotten. Everything about February is awesome!
Let’s take a second to look at what most everyone’s interested in. Valentine’s Day is great. Or it’s terrible. It could be argued that it’s a scam, a way to make people spend money and a way to objectify love, which is a much more complex emotion than any amount of roses and chocolate can begin to describe, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree. In short though, Valentine’s Day is about appreciating the love people share for each other, not just a significant other. Take some time to recognize all of the people who love you, and forget about Valentine’s Day, if just for a moment. We’re all loved every day!
