Aging Capriciously

A Federal Holiday! What another one! I have a sister who works for the Social Security Administration. It seems as though every time I call her, they are having some kind of a holiday. I suppose government employees have to get some perks since they are generally lower paid than the private sector. Nevertheless, it is an endless source of fun to tease my sister about her many days off. We all like to get holidays, but the government seems to celebrate some dubious events. On the other hand, maybe the private sector should be more like the government and give us more special days off. Here are my suggestions for some extra holidays. We should all get our birthdays off, anniversaries off, voting day off and “Nice Days” off. (Nice Days off is when it is sunny and warmer than 85 degrees out. These holidays would only apply to those of us who live in Minnesota or really cold weather states. Those of you who live in California, Arizona or Florida, do not need extra weather days off. You should be grateful you do not get ice and snow storms.)

What other days do you think we should have off? Do you think we could get enough people together to start a referendum on new holidays? Do you think 40 or 45 holidays a year would be too much? What do you think about those who live in Europe and get more time off than those of us who live in the US? Do you think that’s fair? What about some “global” holidays? With all of this talk about globalization, do you think we should have some “global” holidays? Can you think of some days which could be global holidays? How about Earth Day or Peace Day or United Sports day?

Have you ever heard the term “Roman Holiday?” Do you know what it means? Allwords.com defines it as: “An event or occasion when pleasure is taken from the suffering of others. Etymology: so called because days of gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome were public holidays.” Does this definition surprise you? Did you think the phrase had a more benign meaning? Perhaps, you thought it meant something like having fun in Rome while on vacation. Well, in one sense, it does, but the “fun” came at the death and suffering of others. Do we still take Roman Holidays? Some people might say boxing, football and many contact sports are enjoyed more for their violent elements than for the athletic prowess they display. Nevertheless, while we might enjoy these sports, it does not mean that we enjoy the suffering of others.

We may in fact enjoy violence, but I draw the line at thinking that many of us really go to events to see people hurt or suffer. In fact, I have a hard time understanding how even the ancient Roman citizens could have been so callous and insensitive. Perhaps, we would have to live in that era to understand why a Roman holiday would have been fun. Today, I think there is a greater sensitivity and awareness of obvious cruelty. Even in contact sports, I see little evidence of a Roman holiday. Has the world really grown and become more caring or do I have my rose colored glasses on? Are we less likely to go on a Roman holiday? Do you want to see anyone hurt or get any pleasure from the suffering of others? Do you secretly hope to see a crash during a NASCAR race or do you want to see the acrobat fall during the high wire act at the circus? I will bet not. Why would you or anyone else want to see someone hurt?

What was the happiest day of your life? It is a lot more pleasurable to think about the happy times in our lives. However, finding the happiest of the happy may not be so easy. The bad times seem to be etched in our minds, but how quickly we forget the happy times! Taking a journey through my past to answer this question, my mind sorts through weddings, vacations, love affairs, graduations, diplomas, certificates, first kisses, jobs, sporting events and sundry other activities and accomplishments. Somewhat surprisingly, I cannot fasten upon any of these as the “happiest day of my life.” Why is this? Am I looking in the wrong places? What about those book contracts, those great pay increases, and those unexpected financial windfalls? None of these seem to do the trick either! What about those great people I have met in my life? Did they help me to have the happiest day of my life? I must answer no to both of these questions.

So where then is the happiest day of my life? Why is it so elusive? Have you thought of your happiest day yet? What made it your happiest day? Was it easy to remember? Did you find it had much competition? Or perhaps, you are like me, unable to think of the happiest day in your life? Maybe, the happiest day of our lives are still to come and we are just waiting for it? On the other hand, maybe yesterday was the happiest day of our lives and we just did not realize it. Are you happiest when you simply live one day at a time and are thankful for the day you live? I think that each day that I can appreciate the smell of fresh air, the joy of a loving spouse, a good job to go to and excellent health is surely the happiest day of my life.