Hey, Readers!

If you’re reading this Blog post, it’s probably because you enjoy reading—that or it’s just written so well you simply can’t resist…but chances are you just like to read. Well, you’re not alone! People everywhere find great escape, great information, and great inspiration in the written word. It’s probably why libraries have technically been around since about 1200 B.C.

So what better time to celebrate your love for reading than all week long this week? After all, it IS National Library Week! Did you know that? Did you know that National Library Week even existed?—it’s okay if you didn’t, I didn’t and I LOVE to read!

But, believe it or not, it isn’t everybody that loves to read; research that was done in the 50’s showed that people were becoming interested in radio and television over reading. The American Library Association (ALA) grew concerned that with all their new media in entertainment, the American people were losing interest in reading.

That’s why, in 1958, the ALA sponsored not just a day but an entire week of national observance for National Library Week. The library is a really great place to go. You can find books on pretty much every thinkable topic so no matter what your interests, the library has got something for you.

Interested in summer camp? Look up a book about that and you can learn ways of optimizing your child’s summer camp experience! If you’re at the library then your kid should be too. Libraries excel in their youth section and kids tend to love their libraries. Make sure you’re getting the most out of your public library and brush up on your reading skills this National Library Week!

Reading is incredibly good for our brains and is often times a great way to spend your leisure time. So check out some interesting books this week at your library and have fun reading!

Hey, April Foolers.

I’m sure you all expected us to have a bunch of office pranks to post about for today, but I thought it might be more conducive to learning if I gave a light overview concerning the history of this auspicious day. So let’s take a journey back in time to discover the origin of this intriguing holiday and the reasons behind its strange celebrations.

To understand this holiday we must travel back all the way to the early medieval times, when dragons still weren’t real but very much so believed in. Originally a Christian Feast Day, April Fools’ or the Feast of Fools was not so widespread back then.

In fact its celebration was confined to the limits of the small English town of Chumpsterburg. This town’s April 1st celebrations can be traced all the way back to the year 200, when the townsfolk received their first king ever, King Jacob of Prankston, France.

During a time of such extremes in social status, worlds collided: the rich and the poor, the royalty and the commoners, the educated and the superstitious. Upon King Jacob’s arrival, the first day of April was declared April Fools’ Day, often referred to in ancient texts as Festivus Follis or Follis Diem.

The shenanigans that the upper class would pull over on the commoners were typically harmless, innocent jokes that never amounted to more than a laugh. Never—until one year in the sixth century, that is, in which a group of soldiers on night watch went door-to-door the morning of April 1st, telling the townspeople that a dragon had been spotted.

This sparked mass panic and lead to the unexpected evacuation of the townsfolk. Thus the celebration of April Fools’ Day was spread across the land. Meanwhile, in Chumpsterburg, the holiday was banned and replaced as March 32nd instead until the villages’ prompt collapse.

Click here to read more information about this interesting holiday and Happy April Fools’ Day!

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

There’s a little Irish in everybody on St. Patty’s Day! While people in the United States (along with many other places like Canada, Britain, New Zealand, and more) prove year after year that you don’t HAVE TO be Irish in order to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, it’s likely that much of the purpose behind today’s celebration is a complete mystery to most of the world (including the Irish).

Feast your eyes on these informational tidbits that you probably aren’t aware of concerning St. Patrick’s Day!

First, let’s start with the basic history behind today. A Christian holiday, St. Patty’s was created not only to celebrate Irish culture, but to memorialize St. Patrick who brought the teachings of Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick died over 1500 years ago, sometime in the early 6th century. By the 7th century, he was recognized as the patron saint of Ireland!

Most people would probably say that green was Ireland’s color since…ALWAYS, right?

But that’s actually wrong! Ancient flags have shown us that a light shade of blue used to be the national Irish color. Good ol’ green didn’t come around for the Irish until the very end of the 18th century! So what was it that made Ireland see their own, true color?

Well, the shamrock was used by St. Patrick while he was spreading Christianity across the land. He used the three leaves of the clover to symbolize the Holy Trinity. During the Irish Rebellion in 1798, it was used again as a symbol of patriotism. They called it the “wearing of the green” and it slowly developed into a regular custom.

It didn’t take long for the green to catch on, covering whole uniforms in the color of the clover. Not to mention that the verdant, green fields of Ireland already brought the color to mind. It seemed like an obvious switch to be made.

So whether you make some corned beef and cabbage or dress up entirely in green, it’s good to feel a little Irish today—even if you’re not!

Hey, Incredible People!

Today is Absolutely Incredible Kids Day. Celebrated annually on the third Thursday in March, this day is intended to make kids feel as special as they actually are to us. If you’re reading this post, chances are that you’ve got at least one kid in your life. And typically, when there’s a kid in your life, that kid is just absolutely incredible to you, right?

I don’t have kids, myself, but I’m the delighted uncle of three amazing little ladies! And that’s one of the great things about today. Whether you’re a parent, an older sibling or cousin, an uncle or aunt, a grandparent, or family friend, Absolutely Incredible Kids Day is a great day to celebrate the little ones in your life.

Established by a youth development organization called Camp Fire, this day is meant to boost and inspire the kids that we have in our lives. It’s extremely important that kids hear encouragement from the people they look up to. And an act as simple as telling a kid how great they are and what they mean to you can go a very long way for him or her.

While telling a kid face-to-face how absolutely incredible he or she is as well as communicating the message through some form of social media are perfectly good methods, there is another way that’s recommended before any other—writing a letter.

Letters are best because they are a hard copy of your written words. They’re personal and more-or-less permanent. Writing your thoughts down usually allows you to organize your words and say everything that you really want to say—things that you might hold back to say in conversation. And sometimes, a conversation of this sort, is enough to kind of embarrass a kid.

However you know the kids in your life, be sure to tell them what they mean to you and just how absolutely incredible they are! Happy Absolutely Incredible Kids Day!

Hey, Scouts!

Tomorrow is National Girl Scout Day! This organization’s popularity has skyrocketed since its small beginnings a little over a century ago and has become an essential part of summer to many little girls all across the country. First Lady, Michelle Obama, was a Girl Scout when she was little and, not that long ago, childhood star, Dakota Fanning earned her badges in the Scouts.

HECK! I’ve got a niece who’s in Scouts right now—HI, Tess!

Just to give you an idea of how large this organization has become, here are just a couple numbers: currently, there are over 3 million members of the American Girl Scouts Organization. Over the years, the Girl Scouts have amassed 59 million alumnae and counting. They’re EVERYWHERE!—which is a good thing because their cookies are amazing!

But what’s even more impressive than their current numbers, is just how small the Girl Scouts were back in 1912 when the first Girl Scout meeting was assembled. The entrepreneurial-spirited Juliette Gordon Low (or ‘Daisy’ as all the Scouts called her) gathered 18—only 18 girls in Georgia.

Daisy’s purpose in gathering these original 18 Scouts was to give them an experience that would get them out of the house and away from the routine of a domestic lifestyle. In doing so, Daisy knew that the girls would develop into their own selves. She knew how good the great outdoors are for a girl’s mind, body, and soul.

Daisy got these girls to embrace their community by giving back to it. They went hiking and camping. They would play basketball, learn to tell the time by looking at the sky, and study first aid.

By 1915, the American Girls Scouts Organization was officially formed and it didn’t take very long for Daisy’s idea to takeoff. Soon, girls all over the country would become Scouts! Maybe it’s time for you to join the millions and understand just how great the Scout experience is.

Happy, Girl Scout Day, Scouts!