Occasionally, We Need an Extra Holiday

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 72 - Leap Year is the perfect time to throw one in.

Feb 09, 2024

We think nothing of our extra hour gained in the fall for Daylight Savings Time. Most of us look at it as an extra hour of sleep.

Leap Year brings us an entire day! What should we do with it?

In this newsletter:

I’m proposing a new holiday.
The gift of time.
My first Leap Year Holiday.

The treat of an extra holiday.

My husband worked for at least one company that gave its employees their birthday off as a holiday. Employees could take it anytime they wanted. What a nice gift!

If you are like me, you are dedicated to your work and only take time off when you really need it. (Burnout, anyone?) Holidays are a treat because you must be off. No meetings, no office hours, and no school! You can’t get work done when the kids are home.

Every Leap Year is the perfect time to throw in an extra holiday.

Why not? All the other years, you weren’t expecting this day, so there is no need to count it as a workday during a Leap Year. Make it a holiday!

President Susan (a job I would hate in real life) has just signed the bill into law. Every four years, February the 29th is a National Holiday to be observed by all.

What do you do with the gift of time?

It’s very easy to get caught up in a task or event and lose track of time.

Just this morning while writing, I looked at the clock and realized it was time to leave for my volunteer job at my granddaughter’s school. Time flies when you're having fun! But any task can draw you in, causing you to forget about the time.

With the gift of a holiday, you can plan big and make good use of it.

You have two choices:

Spend the day catching up on work that needs to be done - yard work, filing income tax, employee evaluation reports.
Plan a fun holiday for yourself. A staycation of sorts will do - with friends or family, even by yourself.

Because we are talking about a holiday, the choice should be obvious. I’m all for a fun holiday. After all, you’ll have to wait four years for the next Leap Year Holiday. Make the most of it!

My Leap Year Holiday will be about me.

I am lucky. I can live in my fantasy world with the Leap Year Holiday signed into law because I’m retired. I am choosing my extra day to be about me.

This would be a great day to spend time on one of my fun goals for 2024. (My Dec. 28 newsletter edition told about goal setting for the new year.) There are three or four to choose from. I have 21 days to decide.

I haven’t decided, and I’m already excited about my first Leap Year Holiday!

What about you? What will you do with your extra day?

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

The clock pictured above can be found at the Whitney Hotel in New Orleans. Check this site to learn some history about it.
Do you need an easy explanation of how Leap Year came about? Here’s a quick read.
My suggestion for our extra holiday during a leap year is partially in jest. But why not? I loved this article about this article by Daniel Pink about the power of asking, “Why not?”
Here’s some history on the creation of federal holidays.
I’m grateful for whatever the holidays bring. For me, it’s usually family, friends, or self-care.
It’s good to take time for yourself. Everyone needs self-care. A holiday may be the best time for you.
This recommended reading isn’t directly related to this edition of Pen to Paper, but it is right down my alley for promoting positivity and the good stuff in life. Take a look at how to stop catastrophizing.

Thank you for reading.

Until next time,

💚

Susan

How would you spend the gift of an extra day? Leave a comment and let me know.

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