Does every day seem the same as the day before? Do the weeks seem to be on a repeat cycle? Then you need a reason to make today feel different. National celebration days to the rescue!
Celebrate the unsung heroes
Gratitude is important. We will be happier if we remind ourselves regularly of all the things we have to be grateful for. But gratitude should also be expressed. And today the focus of that should be your System Administrator.
According to National Day Calendar, the last Friday in July is System Administrator Appreciation Day. It is also known as Sysadmin Day or, apparently, SAD. The latter is how your SysAdmin feels when you forget this day. It was first celebrated in 2000, so you may have some catching up to do.
Many (most?) IT staff are under-appreciated. Especially those, like system administrators, whose work is invisible until something breaks. They keep the servers running, the networks stable, and the printers from freaking out at critical moments. When the tech runs smoothly, they are ignored. But when there is a problem, everyone suddenly remembers their name, their extension, and their desk location.
So today, show appreciation to those who keep the systems ticking. You don’t have to rush out and buy a gift. A cup of coffee or a simple e-card will do the job. And maybe stop clicking “Update Now” five minutes before a meeting.
If you don’t thank your SysAdmin today, don’t complain when the WiFi drops to “carrier pigeon” mode.
Celebrate your gnarliness
The last Friday in July is also National Get Gnarly Day. It is a challenge to put some gnarliness into everything we do.
The word gnarly was originally a botanical term meaning knotty or twisted, as in a gnarly piece of wood. It has evolved into a slang term that can apparently mean almost anything:
- Excellent, amazing, or very impressive.
- Risky, wild, or difficult to handle.
- Unpleasant, painful, or disgusting.
This is confusing. I want to do something impressive on National Get Gnarly Day, but I also want to avoid mud, pain, and a tetanus injection. I already have gnarly moments every time I log in to a government system. So I’d like to "get gnarly" in a more enjoyable way.
Celebrate … almost anything
If you are not feeling the gnarl (my newly coined phrase), there are easier ways to celebrate this Friday:
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Confuse a stranger by celebrating National Talk in an Elevator Day. Yes: start a conversation instead of staring at the numbers or your phone. (Unless you are a man alone in a lift with a woman. That might be confused with National Weirdo Creep Day.)
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I love the idea of National Mutt Day. Adopt, volunteer, donate. Or simply tell every dog you meet they’re a good dog.
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There is no celebration without cake. So take advantage of National Raspberry Cake Day. Cake is easy. Cake doesn’t ask you to "get gnarly".
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If you have given up cake (shame!), you can celebrate Shredded Wheat Day. I’m blank on this one. If I was going to celebrate a breakfast, this wouldn’t be it.
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My personal favourite — and the one I plan to celebrate with gusto — is National Jump for Jelly Beans Day. I won’t jump, but I will eat jelly beans with great enthusiasm.
Too late to celebrate
I missed Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day on 16 July. It’s intended to celebrate the ways AI has improved our lives. And, more importantly, to draw attention to the need for responsible, fair and ethical AI. A good day to commemorate, but not one that comes with cake.
And if you are thinking about better breakfasts than shredded wheat, you missed Sidewalk Egg Frying Day on 4 July. For real. No, I don’t know why it’s celebrated. I don’t know anyone out there frying eggs on pavements, but you can try it next year.
You can register your own national day, subject to certain criteria. There are so many options that come to mind. Like National Home Affairs Uptime Day, for when the system actually works. National Reply All Amnesty Day, when people are forgiven for replying‑all to a company‑wide email.
What national holiday would you like to register? Share your ideas.