I love February. If you know anything about me, you know I make a big deal about all things February. The greatest president of each American Century was born in February. The 1700s gave us George Washington (22nd), the 1800s gave us Abe Lincoln (12th), and the 1900s gave us Ronald Reagan (6th)
So, imagine my surprise when I recently was making as big a deal about the month some call Daveruary.
As the miserable month of January was coming to a close, I found out I have a coworker whose wife celebrates Groundhog’s Day every year.
I’m sure you’re wondering how or why she does it.
She throws a party.
The party starts before the sun rises in Punxsutawney, PA. Because she lives in the central time zone, it needs to start at 6 a.m.
The next question has to be, how big a party can this be?
Who would go to a party so early in the day?
More than 50 people. Keep in mind that most of these parties are on work/school days. Many wear Groundhog’s Day-themed clothing!
There are a couple of ways a person could go with this information.
The quick response would be, “Weirdo. Who would do such a weird thing?” She must be a little funny in the head.
Another response would be curiosity, and could start asking sincere questions to learn more about this unique hobby. Clearly, she isn’t alone. Every news outlet in America reports on it, so how weird can it be?
Tens of thousands of people flock to Central PA every year to stand in Gobbler’s Knob Park to be there in person. Bill Murray made a movie about it (My coworker’s wife has never seen it, but my coworker says she wouldn’t like people making jokes out of Groundhog Day).
If you want to treat others how you want to be treated, you celebrate something like this. You find out more about another person’s interests.
As my brother Justin said, “Why not? It’s harmless fun. Nobody gets hurt.” That is, unless you make fun of their hobby, then their feelings might get hurt.
I’m not saying you need to make it your own hobby. You likely have your own hobby or habit others think is a bit weird; who knows; maybe you’re so into a particular month your friends and family have nicknamed it after you.
So, have a happy Daveruay! Even if we are headed toward six more weeks of winter.
