Many consider February to be underappreciated because, weighing in at a mere 28 days, it is the shortest month.
Because it was the last month of the year in the old-timey Roman calendar, one might assume it was crammed together with the scraps of what was left at the end of the year. Kind of an afterthought. As a matter of fact, in that version of the Roman Calendar, because the Romans considered even numbers to be bad luck, all the months had an odd number of days. Except one of them had to have an even number in order to conform, mathematically, with the Lunar year. The Roman king at the time bestowed that particular dishonor on February. The joke’s on His Excellency though, because the system was imperfect and thus today February is the only month that periodically gets an extra day.
So that???s kind of special.
Because it is short, though, as we approach the end of February we all know that our rent or our monthly insurance premium will come due two to three days sooner than in any other month. If that isn’t a good reason to want to skip ahead to March, I don’t know what is. If you did that though, you’d run the risk of skipping past that payment altogether.
So no.
Also, have you ever noticed that February gets so little respect that even though the letter R is in its name twice, most people only bother to pronounce the second one? It’s true.
Now, on the other hand:
Probably due to its original position as the final month of the year, February gets its name from the Latin “februum” which means “purification” as in a fresh start, a clean slate for the new year and all that. And what in the world is purer than love? Valentine’s Day is in February. What better way to show a month some love than to place the very day that is synonymous with love smack dab in the middle of it?
Speaking of the heart, February – probably because it contains Valentine’s Day – is American Heart Month. When you consider that heart disease left unchecked can lead to all manner of malfunction such as, obviously, heart attacks, but also strokes, it becomes clear that when you take care of your heart you take care of your very life itself. One of countless reasons a sound health insurance plan is essential to overall well-being.
February is Black History Month which, while originating in the U.S., is now celebrated in many countries, honoring the vital and enormous historical and cultural contributions of people of African descent, world-wide.
Then there is Presidents’ Day in the United States. Think of it. We chose to honor the leaders of our nation, past and present, on the third Monday of this month, most likely because both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were born in February. That can’t be a coincidence.
And speaking of auspicious incarnations, I haven’t even mentioned that a Beatle, George Harrison, was born in February. That certainly is…Something.
The Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, and the day that pitchers and catchers are expected to report to Spring Training (usually) are all in February! So before you go underestimating February, think of all the wonders that are packed within. If that doesn’t do it, remember that by mid-February, winter is half over. Well, depending on what the Groundhog says, obviously.
I could go on and on, but I only have 28 days.