Word-Of-the-Week #919: St. Patrick
March 17, 2022 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #919: St. Patrick
St. Patrick – the patron saint of Ireland.
Did you know that the Irish have celebrated this religious holiday for more than 1000 years?
Since today is St. Patrick’s Day I’m featuring “The History of St. Patrick’s Day” from History.com.
“St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast–on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.
In the centuries following Patrick’s death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture: Perhaps the most well-known legend of St. Patrick is that he explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) using the three leaves of a native Irish clover, the shamrock.
Since around the ninth or 10th century, people in Ireland have been observing the Roman Catholic feast day of St. Patrick on March 17. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland but in America. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601 in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The parade, and a St. Patrick’s Day celebration a year earlier were organized by the Spanish Colony’s Irish vicar Ricardo Artur.
More than a century later, homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City on March 17, 1772 to honor the Irish patron saint. Enthusiasm for the St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York City, Boston and other early American cities only grew from there.
Over the next 35 years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called “Irish Aid” societies like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring bagpipes (which actually first became popular in the Scottish and British armies) and drums.
In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies decided to unite their parades to form one official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world ‘s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly 3 million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Savannah also celebrate the day with parades involving between 10,000 and 20,000 participants each.”
Have FUN if you are planning any parades or festivities for today!
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Word-Of-the-Week #918: Amaze
March 10, 2022 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #918: Amaze
Amaze – to cause great wonder or astonishment.
When was the last time you felt great wonder or astonishment?
Once again, Steve Straus, author of STEVE’S 3-MINUTE COACHING, sent a very thought provoking piece.
Great Question: Amazes?
(Great questions lead to great answers; weak questions, weak ones.)
“What amazes me?”
Coaching Point: Children spend much of their time amazed. That’s because each day can be an introduction to something new, interesting, wonderful. For them there is a continual unfoldment of something they haven’t seen before, had no idea existed, and, well, amazes them.
And then they grow up. Adults busy in the routine of the routine.
Ah, but the delight of being amazed lies dormant in the heart of all adults, just waiting to blossom anew.
Why doesn’t it blossom? We forget to look. We’re busy on ‘more important things.’ We don’t remember the juice being amazed brings.
This is not to say we adults are never amazed, just that we’re amazed a whole lot less than when we were young, when the wide world was new to us.
What has recently amazed you?
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This week’s focus is amazement. How long has it been since you spent time in nature? Have you ever experienced the amazement of seeing migrating whales? Or flocks of migrating birds as they arrive at their destination?
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Word-Of-the-Week #917: Desire
March 3, 2022 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #917: Desire
Desire – to wish or long for; want..
During the past year did you take time to think about what you liked about your current job — or didn’t? Is there something “You’ve always wanted to do?”
This week features San Diego UT writer Phil Blair, “Maybe time is now to seize the desire to do what you love.”
These days, millions of Americans are starting their own businesses, at the highest rate in many years. Kind of odd timing, but really not. We all found that during the pandemic, while working from home, or maybe not working at all, that we had time to think about what we liked about our current jobs — or didn’t.
Maybe you’ve had enough of working at a “regular” job. Maybe that idea has been brewing under the surface for years. Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting a new and better job.
Maybe now is the right time to bring these ideas into the light of day, the kind of ideas feed right into your entrepreneurial urge to start a new business.
Good for you.
Consider that my business partner, Mel Katz, and I bought our first Manpower franchise on a lark. Our two families wanted to move to San Diego and we needed a way to earn a living. Even though we knew very little to nothing about owning and running a staffing firm, we really enjoyed the business from day one. We were determined to make it work, or go hungry. We were motivated to work our butts off making it successful. We keep reading about startups from people who are dabbling in a side business, other than their day-to-day job. And it seems they’re all hitting it out of the park and making lots of money.
How often do we hear “This all started in a garage, or back bedroom?” So why not you?
- Hitting it out of the park is pretty rare
It’s not nearly as easy as it sounds. And hitting it out of the park is pretty rare, but that depends on your definition of a park. In fact, half of millennials, which now comprise the bulk of the workforce, have a second income, usually a gig-style job. If you’re feeling confident enough to try something you’ve always wanted to try, now is the time to go for it. That savory pasta sauce your family raves about can now only be found at Grandma’s house. Same with those fabulous cookies, or country jam that all your friends rave about. Only available in your kitchen.
Or, “There ought to be a software that…”
Or, “Your artwork is so good, you should sell it.”
I often talk about when we all lay down on our deathbed, I don’t want us to have any regrets of “I shoulda, coulda, why didn’t I have the nerve to…” Instead, I want to yell, “Take me now, I’ve done or tried everything down here and I am ready for a new challenge.” Start small.
What are your hobbies? What have you been making or doing for free that people would be willing to pay money for?
Make that jam or soap or spaghetti sauce and sell it at a booth at a farmer’s market. It might be so much fun that you really don’t care if you sell much of it. Even better, you might ask yourself, “How do I make enough to re-stock my booth next week?”
- Your new weekend and evening project
Don’t think you have to give up your day job to explore or take on one of these new paths. For now, it can be your new weekend and evening project. Not good in the kitchen? Go to the app store. There are more sites like Etsy than you can imagine. Check out several that interest you. While you’re at it, why not apply for that part-time consultant gig or teach whatever you know well? If things don’t work out the way you want, you can always go back to a “real” job, whatever that means to you. And for the next year or so, jumping back into the job market shouldn’t be a problem.
After all, you may have saved more money than ever during COVID because of no travel, no dining out, and not much fun.
And with a simpler lifestyle, maybe you can live off one salary, at least for a while. To heck with Omicron.
It’s time to think out of your box and get rid of “I’ve always wanted to…”
This week’s focus is on desire. Do you feel confident enough to try something you’ve always wanted to try? Have you been making or doing something for free that people would be willing to pay money for? Would you like to live a simpler life?
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