Today is not a time to be risk averse. Rather, it is a day for risk-takers to “go for it”.  To many people, there’s a certain thrill and excitement to face danger or to put it all on the line. If you are a gambler, you will just love this day. Today is Take a Chance Day. This April 23 holiday sounds pretty risky (but fun) to me……..

Life is filled with risks. To get what you want, sometimes you have to take a chance. And, today is created to do just that. Today is the day to take a chance on virtually any object or goal. Will it be love? will it be luck? Or, will it be lollipops? There is no room for procrastination today. So, we hope you fully participate in this day, and that you attain everything you seek. So go ahead and take a chance. As they say: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

Note: If you are going to “take a chance” at winning the lottery, and have never played the lottery before, we suggest you only buy one ticket. After all, everyone is going to take a chance today, so the odds are really low.

In case you haven’t guessed, today is Take a Wild Guess Day. This April 15 holiday is all about trusting your gut and your instinct. Today, factual or empirical data are useless and unnecessary, before opening your mouth. Does the thought of taking a wild guess without any information to back you up, take you out of your comfort zone? …..Good, very good.

Taking a wild guess is like taking a stab in the dark. Often you don’t have any information or facts, but you feel compelled to take a wild guess at a perplexing question or issue. If you are expected to know the answer, taking a wild guess is at the risk of embarrassment and ridicule, if you guess wrong.

The lucky ones among us, are those that have a good intuition, a feeling, or a kind of sixth sense. Many of us don’t possess these traits. You could say providing the correct response is pure luck. Perhaps, perhaps not.

Take a Wild Guess Day encourages us to throw away the inhibitions that are holding us back. Throw caution to the wind, step out of your comfort zone, and take a chance that you’ll know the right answer or thing to say.

When it comes to guessing, perhaps Mae West said it best: “Don’t keep a man guessing too long – he’s sure to find the answer somewhere else.”

On this day, you are encouraged to take a guess, at every opportunity you get. 

National Sibling Day, an April 10 holiday, is a day to appreciate and cherish your brothers and sisters. This includes stepsiblings and adopted siblings as well. Siblings are truly a special blessing that we probably all too often take for granted. They are often our best friends and supporters throughout life.

Another reason to celebrate is that not everyone is lucky enough to have siblings. Their lives are significantly different growing up than living and sharing childhood with a brother or sister.

Do you like shrimp? Do you like garlic? Then, you’re gonna love National Shrimp Scampi Day. Culinary holidays are always fun and pleasing. They are the kind of days we mark on our calendar with eager anticipation. On this April 29 holiday, we eat and enjoy a great appetizer, meal, or snack. 

Shrimp scampi is simple and easy to make. And, it ohh so tasty! Just cook the shrimp along with butter or olive oil, chopped garlic, and parmesan cheese in a skillet. Add your personal touch to the basic ingredients. You can also add other ingredients like parsley, lemon, breadcrumbs, basil, salt, and pepper.

Did You Know? The shrimp scampi recipe originated in Italy (No surprise).  It was brought to the United States by soldiers returning from WWII.

National Scrabble Day celebrates the popular board game. It’s been popular around the world ever since. People young and old enjoy this game. What better time to play it, than on this April 13 holiday!?

Scrabble was created in 1938 by Alfred Mosher Butts. It is sold by Hasbro, Inc.

It’s very easy to celebrate Scrabble Day. Just get out your old board game, dust it off, and play a few rounds with family or friends.  

The versatile and invaluable safety pin was patented on April 10, 1849. Patent #6,281. On Safety Pin Day, an April 10 holiday, we celebrate this invention and its inventor.

The year was 1849. Inventor Walter Hunt was in debt. He owed $15 to a friend. Hunt decided the way to get out of debt, was to invent something that he could sell. What was that great idea, that profitable invention? It was the safety pin. He wisely applied for and received a patent for this invention. The safety pin is much safer than a straight pin and quickly became popular. He sold them for a profit. Later, he sold the patent and received $400 for it. He paid his friend back and pocketed the remaining $385, which was a handsome amount at the time.  

Note: A similar invention was made in England. It was called the “English Pin”.

If you are a little shaky or are experiencing tremors, that’s because today is Richter Scale Day. This April 26 holiday celebrates the birth of the inventor of the Richter Scale. Born on April 26, 1900, American seismologist Charles F. Richter (1900–1985) invented the Richter Scale in 1935.

Earthquakes have been shaking the earth since the dawn of time. They are the result of the movement of the tectonic plates deep underneath the earth. When these plates move or slip along each other, they create immense energy and shock wakes resulting in surface earthquakes and tsunamis. Large earthquakes result in tremendous loss of lives and property.

The Richter Scale measures the amount of energy released by an earthquake by measuring the magnitude or seismic waves produced by an earthquake. The Richter Scale measures range from 0 to 9. On the scale, each increase in number represents an earthquake 10 times more powerful. At 4.5 an earthquake can damage buildings and structures. At 7 on the Richter scale, severe and catastrophic damage can occur.

Are you on the outs with someone? Reconciliation Day is a special day to patch relationships and make amends. The goal of this April 2 holiday is to re-establish relationships between family, friends, and couples. Life is too short to hold a grudge against those we love. Rather, talk about your problems and issues. Be the first to offer the peace pipe or olive branch. Then, re-start the relationship. Kiss and makeup.

Estranged couples may find today to be an opportunity to work out their problems. People who have had a “falling out” with family members are encouraged to reach out and “mend the fence”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our country’s major political parties could talk to each other and find an agreeable middle ground!?

For those considering a reconciliation, the old saying is “It’s never too late”. But, that is not true. Someday, it could be too late. So, please use today to begin your reconciliation. 

Thinking about going on a road trip? Why not dust off those old paper road maps and plot a course to get away!? Today is Read a Road Map Day, an April 5 holiday.

Nowadays most people use a GPS to go from point A to point B. You would think these tools would make paper maps obsolete. It has all but completely outmoded the old paper road maps we relied on. Yet, these paper maps persist. Why? Simply because some people just like to have them handy when planning for a trip, or when on the road. GPS units in your vehicle has also taken a big bite out of the popularity of online road maps like Mapquest.

Paper maps and online travel maps are not totally obsolete. They still have a useful function, or they would not exist. You can find paper maps through state and local travel bureaus, state, and local visitor centers, and at many rest stops along major highways.  

Read a Road Map Day encourages us to take a step back in time and discover the value that road maps still have. Our GPS gets us to our destination in the quickest and shortest manner. But, is your trip about the destination or the journey? Road maps can help us to identify and plot routes that make the journey a more pleasant experience. There is so much to discover along the way. You can identify small and interesting towns or historic sites along the way that are passed by on today’s superhighways.  

Reach as High as You Can Day is a day to expand your horizons. This April 14 holiday is truly an uplifting experience. Today, there are no limits. You can literally reach for the sky and soar to new heights in everything you do today.

Is there something you’ve wanted to “go for”, and felt it was just out of reach? A new job, perhaps? Maybe a date with that cute co-worker or classmate. Whatever the challenge you face, if you reach as high as you can, you just might win the prize. And, you will never know until you try.

The sky is the limit for you. So, use Reach as High as You Can Day to reach and attain, or even surpass, your goals and objectives. You’ll be oh, so glad that you did! 

Song of the Day: Jumpin Jack Flash

Movie of the Day: White Men Can’t Jump