family cat | Anotherdayinparadise2's Blog

A very happy Leap Day to you all.

This year we’ve all been blessed with an extra day, so what will you do with those twenty four hours which you wouldn’t normally have? If you’re spending the day at work and get paid monthly, then today your hard work is on the house. Once every four years, the gap between February’s pay day, and that in March, is one whole day longer, but your salary remains the same. February 29th is a bonus day, created by the Gregorian calendar to compensate for the difference between the calendar year and the time it takes for Earth to orbit the sun, so don’t you agree then that since it’s not a proper day, merely a virtual one, we should all take the day off to play catch up with ourselves? Just do something which you don’t normally have the time for, like phoning your granny, or visiting a friend, going for lunch in the middle of the week with your partner, seeing a movie you haven’t made time for yet. Really, there’s no excuse for working today is there? Try telling that to your boss or your teacher.

Traditionally on Leap day, women can propose marriage to the man of their choice. After all, February is supposed to be the month of love, with Valentines Day bang slap in the middle, so if your partner is taking too long to pop the question, why not do it yourself? Maybe he just needs that extra little push over the edge.

In some countries, there is a tradition that if the man refuses the proposal, he has to pay a forfeit. In Denmark, the tradition is that refusal must be compensated with twelve pairs of gloves, and in Finland, he must buy her the fabric to make a new skirt. That seems to me to be letting him off too lightly, don’t you think? Rejection should come at a much higher price these days; maybe a new pink iPhone, or a pair of red ‘Jimmy Choos’.

Of course if you were born on February 29th, you are a ‘leapling’, and only get a birthday once every four years. Marcia Fast, will enjoy her first legal glass of wine tonight at dinner with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, because technically speaking, this eighty-four-year-old will only be turning twenty one.

So it would seem that the secret of eternal youth is to be born on February 29th, as you’re never likely to be more than thirty years old.

Well, however you spend your bonus day this year, I hope you make the most of it. Of course if you’re the family cat, it means only one thing; another twenty four hours to relax and sleep.