A nice day (though not today). (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Today was a good day.
It was the first day of spring, and the eastern phoebe, a little brown songbird known as a harbinger of all things vernal, made an appearance in the city, just on schedule.
It was the International Day of Happiness, a holiday mandated by the United Nations, which might sound a bit authoritarian, demanding smiles around the world, but Secretary General Ban Ki-moon means well, and so we were happy.
It was also Macaron Day, if you live in New York, and those colorful French burger-shaped cookies were available, for free, at 15 stores throughout the city. Mon dieu!
Looking back, it was a good week.
Saint Patrick’s Day took place on a Monday, which meant that it really took place on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday combined. Also, Purim, one of the Jews’ happiest holidays, was on Saturday, and many a hamantashen (Jewish macarons) were consumed.
Come to think of it, it’s been a good month.
The nation stopped to observe World Kidney Day on Thursday, March 13, and the great American actor Emile Hirsch celebrated his 29th birthday. (Others who celebrated their birthdays this month include Justin Bieber, Bruce Willis, Flavor Flav, Bret Michaels and Billy Crystal. Happy birthday, guys!)
International Women’s Day happened—and many women celebrated their birthdays, too—as did Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday. Oh, and daylight saving time began. We lost some sleep but gained some happiness, as we did today.
And today was an especially good day.
