We’ve got an “extra” day!

It’s More Complicated Than You Think!

The difference between the duration of the earth’s orbit and the calendar year isn’t exactly six hours, or a quarter of a day. So, Leap Day is observed every four years, except for years that are perfectly divisible by 100 — unless they’re perfectly divisible by 400.

Huh? Got that?

What’s it all about? Blame Caesar!

Leap Day is in February because Caesar Augustus took three days from February and added them to August to make up for the fact that Julius Caesar took days from August to add to July. Does that make sense to you?

Did you know?

In 1288, Queen Margaret of Scotland enacted a law under which women were allowed to propose marriage to men on Leap Day. If a man refused, he could be required to pay the woman twelve pairs of gloves, a silk gown, or money.

Anyway, this just reminded me of my high school annual Sadie Hawkins Day, where the girls got to ask the boys to the Sadie Hawkins Dance! (remember we’re  still talking about the dark ages before feminism) 

Seriously, Leap Years happen less than once every four years. That makes them special; super special.

We can do better than adding an extra twelve hours at an amusement park. (In 2012, Disney decided have its theme parks open 24 hours on Leap Day but the ensuing crowds were so bad they had to shut them down!) 

Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves to make Leap Day the special day that it deserves to be?

You could start a tradition of your own this year — throw a party with your friends, embark on some new customs with your family, and really try to do something special to mark this rare(ish) event!

Life is short, and there’s no guarantee as to when it will end. Life is busy and it’s chaotic!

So… smart people live each day as if it were their last and make the most out of each moment—and so should we!

We don’t have to use it like this…

What will you do with your “extra” day?