Which Are Your Favorite Days of the Year?

Dave Letterman has always highlighted his Top Ten Lists on his show. I like the idea and am going to inaugurate Ken’s Top Seven List, because at my age, I am only operating at 70% of my full mental capacity.

My first Top Seven List is “My Favorite Days of the Year.”

Groundhogs Day has always been one of my favorites. It pays special tribute to an unsung mammal which performs no action worthy of recognition and yet receives global recognition for just seeing or not seeing its own shadow. That kind of a scam deserves special acknowledgement.

Christmas Day. Although I have soured somewhat on the commercialization of the Christmas season, I still have a special place in my heart for my childhood Christmas memories. I also love the joy of sharing Christmas in a home with small children, who make Christmas so magical and exciting.

May 21. Most of the Western World, as well as the countries of Turkey and Poland, knows that May 21 is my wife’s birthday. It is celebrated in more countries than Washington’s Birthday and thus deserves a special place of honor on my list. (Besides, if I didn’t include it, she would kill me.)

The First Day of School. As a former teacher, the first day of school (17 as a student and 34 as a teacher) has always had a special place in my life. Every new school year was filled with excitement and positive anticipation. Each year was a new beginning, with new friends, new challenges and new life shaping experiences.

July 1. The first of July was always my official start to the summer holidays no matter what the last day of school was. Summer holidays meant sleeping in, no work, visiting family in other cities, traveling, and basically abandoning the clock and the calendar for two months. You were free to do what you wanted, when you wanted, if you wanted.

The First Day of the Baseball Season. I love baseball. My daily life is enriched and excited from the first day of the season to the last day of the World Series. I look so forward to following my Indians, watching games on TV, reading the box scores and now following every game in detail through the Internet. The four months between seasons are an eternity.

December 21. The first day of winter is my favorite day of the year, not because I love cold, snow and darkness, but because it is the day the sun makes a U-Turn at the Tropic of Capricorn and starts to head north towards North America. Starting tomorrow the days will get longer and longer by a couple of minutes a day and summer will get closer and closer. No day actually makes me happier.

So there you have it, Ken’s Top Seven Favorite Days of the Year! Now it’s your turn!