It’s May, which is pretty much National Everything Month

By mikel kelly

Pamplin Media Group, May 5, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

ADVERTISEMENTS

There are all kinds of reasons we might choose to celebrate this new month.

In this part of the country, May is the month it might stop raining all the time. I say “might” because it might also keep raining until mid-July. You just never know.

When I was little, the beginning of May was celebrated by giddy high school kids who would erect a big pole in the front yard of the school, tie long ribbons to the top of it and then dance around it like fairies. I’m not sure why they did this, but they usually let us out of school to watch it, so I was pretty much in favor of it.

May also happens to be the month I celebrate two of the most important events of my life.

One is my marriage to The Other Person Who Lives at Our House (TOPWLAOH), 41 years ago.

The other is my graduation from Navy boot camp on May 5 (also 41 years ago), which Americans and Mexicans everywhere now commemorate by drinking tequila, shooting pistolas and by doing crazy dancing in real big hats.

The trouble is, individuals and organizations all around the country have decided that they, too, would like a piece of this frisky May action, so many of them have delegated May as their special month. Here are a few examples.

May is National Salad Month. It’s also National Bike Month. And National Barbecue Month.

Mmmm, barbecue.

These are all worthwhile things to pause and appreciate, of course, but there are more. Lots more.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are on the threshold of National Arthritis Month, Older Americans Month, Salsa Month, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, Correct Posture Month, Strawberry Month, Better Sleep Month, Get Caught Reading Month, Gifts From the Garden Month, Healthy Vision Month, Clean Air Month, Hepatitis Awareness Month, Mental Health Month, Egg Month, Allergy Awareness Month, Beef Month, Melanoma /Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, Asthma Month, Good Car Keeping Month and Vinegar Month.

These, of course, are all worthwhile things to celebrate. Nothing in that list that you can get excited about? How about National Hamburger Month? Mmmm, hamburgers.

No? OK.

Well, I will have you know that May is National Foster Care Month. This is important. In our nation today, there are 523,000 children in foster care.

1 | 2 Next Page >>