MY SAY: There's not enough 'special' days on our calendar

WHEN I was a kid growing up, there were really only a handful of special days each year. I've recently come to the conclusion we need a lot more.

With so many special days on the calendar, it's no wonder a bloke gets confused. Picture: Warren Lynam

I'VE suddenly realised that we need more dedicated days on the calendar.

You're looking blankly, so maybe I should explain myself a bit better.

What I mean is that I believe we need more dedicated days on our calendar.

Sorta sounds the same, doesn't it?

Let's try this. When I was a kid growing up (back in the old days) there were really only a handful of special days each year. There was Christmas, of course, and Easter. Coming from a Catholic tribe, they were the biggies.

Then there was Anzac Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Finally, like everyone else, there was my birthday (which I've always felt should be declared a national holiday anyway).

So that's six in total. These days, of course, it's almost impossible to find a day that hasn't been claimed for a cause.

Some, like World AIDS Day or Daffodil Day, are totally worthy. The same with Clean Up Australia Day, Remembrance Day, World Mental Health Day and World Refugee Day.

Others are maybe less worthy but arguably still warrant a place on the calendar. Library Lovers Day, World Oceans Day and World Animal Day, for example. Throw in International Day of Older Persons and World Teachers Day, if you like. I know some of them aren't "celebrated" in Australia but I think you get my point.

Then there are the ones that would probably be hard to justify - Talk Like A Pirate Day (my favourite), National Toenail Awareness Day (seriously!), National Vasectomy Day (double seriously!!) and my other favourite, National Work Naked Day (I celebrated that once but no-one told me you're supposed to stay home and do it!).

There are so many others, it's ridiculous. Which is why I can't be blamed for forgetting the occasional one.

For instance, I have a terrible habit of forgetting my wonderful mother's birthday. I've done it so often that now she just smiles sadly when I finally call. Once, I had the wrong month but she is so forgiving that she let me get way with it. Only some time later did my dad call to tell me what had happened. No matter how hard he tried to bite his tongue, he just couldn't let her let me get away with it.

At one stage several years ago, mum even bought a little diary and wrote down everyone's birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special occasions. It's still sitting in my bedside drawer … I just keep forgetting to check it.

So you're probably wondering why I've suddenly decided to push for even more special days we will have to remember. Well, it's because I'm going to launch a campaign for February 15 to be made a special day. We could call it I'm So Sorry Day or Better Late Than Never Day or even Please Forgive Me Day.  I'm sure the florist and greeting card industries would come on board.

And if you've got no idea what I'm talking about, we could come up with a separate special day for you. How about Suddenly Single Day?

I must remember to add it to mum's little diary.  

Originally published as MY SAY: There's not enough 'special' days on our calendar