December 19th? Do we really only have twelve days left in 2024? I checked the calendar and there were not only 365 days this year, but an additional day in February to make it 366 because of leap year. So, the year was actually longer, but seemed shorter – maybe it’s just me, maybe not.
The apparent rapid pace got me thinking how precisely we mark time in our modern world.
The Gregorian Calendar is currently used in most parts of the world. It was implemented in October of 1582 to replace and correct the inaccuracies of the Julian Calendar that had been in use since January 45 BC. The Julian Calendar was in use for 1627 years, but it had a fatal flaw related to leap years.
Even 2000 years ago, astronomers knew an Earth year is about 365.25 days. So, the Julian Calendar added a leap year of 366 days every fourth year. Problem solved, right? Not so fast. The Earth year is an average of 365.2425 days. It is the difference of 0.0075 day each year that caused a problem.
Over the course of those 1627 years the Julian Calendar had “drifted” such that it was not in sync with the solar equinoxes and solstices (like December 21st). To correct this, the Gregorian Calendar reformed how leap years were calculated and ten days were “skipped”. At implementation, Thursday 4 October 1582 was followed by Friday 15 October 1582.
So, everybody hopped on board right away and switched, right? Actually, it took over 300 years.
The United Kingdom and American Colonies did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar until 1752 when they removed 11 days. The last notable holdout was Turkey less than 100 years ago. It adopted the calendar in 1927 when it removed 13 days. Now, the Julian Calendar is mostly used to calculate the days of religious observances.
With the precision of the Gregorian Calendar, we can easily track the “when” of a thing. For example, I know that I was born on August 5th, that we celebrate Independence Day in the United States of America on July 4th, and that New Year’s Day is January 1st.
But the calendar does not tell us the “why” of our history or experiences. It’s time to get philosophical.
In my opinion, precision is not very human. Are we only allowed to celebrate a birth on the precise day or mourn a death on the anniversary of someone’s passing? If so, I’m doing it wrong as I still mourn the loss of my friend Bob Lee who I wrote about last month.
On the happier side, I like to celebrate my birthday as an “octave” from August 5th to 12th because, well, I like to celebrate. And, hey, there are Twelve Days of Christmas from Decemeber 25th to January 5th.
My point is this – the calendar is only our guide and the meaning we find in the events of our lives is what marks time. To me, there is a feeling of “appropriateness” when certain things happen, or not happen as the case may be. And, if we pay attention, we move in natural, rhythmic cycles.
This idea was encapsulated in the 1962 song Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds. The first line is, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” What does that mean? Well, the lyrics are pretty clear. Listen to the song and then come back to the blog, I’ll wait.
I’ll paraphrase some of the lines but reverse the order because I like to end on positive notes.
Sometimes we mourn and sometimes we rejoice. Sometimes we hate and sometimes we love. Sometimes we tear down and sometimes we build up. Sometimes we cry and sometimes we laugh.
Sometimes, each of these happen in the same day. We are whole people, after all.
At 3 minutes and 48 seconds, the song does not have the time to cover every possibility, so I will add a few of my own I believe are appropriate and timely.
Sometimes we work, and sometimes we relax. Sometimes we are troubled, and sometimes we are content. Sometimes we arrive, and sometimes we leave. Sometimes we follow the advice of others, and sometimes we strike out our own path.
That last one has preoccupied me for a while because of this year’s Chevrolet Holiday ad. Yes, you read that correctly. If you read my blog from last holiday’s season it will not surprise you. Sometimes we find wisdom in the strangest places and for the past few years, Chevy has hit it out of the park with their holiday messaging. Watch the video – it’s probably the best five and a half minutes you will spend today.
For those of you who can’t spare the five minutes, here is a short version. But if you end up lost in the next paragraph, don’t tell me you weren’t encouraged to watch the whole thing!
The ad is rich with symbolism and emotion that Chevrolet uses to convey a truth that we sometimes take for granted – sometimes we need the help of others to tune out the noise and acknowledge what is right in front of us. Ok, those of you who are lost, go watch the long version. Everyone else, proceed.
In last year’s holiday blog, I encouraged everyone to be a gift to one another. This year, I will double down on that message, but add an additional aspect. We all love to be with those who are celebrating and rejoicing, but I want to be a gift to those who need it most and give them hope. Will you join me?
Who in your life is lost or hurting? Who needs encouragement or lifting up? Who is lonely or home-bound? We don’t need to look far to find someone who could benefit from a surprise phone call, card, or visit. Will it take some of your time? Sure, it will. But you can’t buy more time, so it makes a precious gift. Invest it in others, you’ll be glad you did.
Finally, I want to thank you for making it to the end of this very long blog; I believe it is my longest ever. Over the past five years I think I have demanded a lot from readers with unexpected topics, quirky connections, and endless links. I think our editors see me as a challenge.
If I have worn you out, I apologize, and you may be relieved to know this will be my last blog for LRS IT Solutions. In the new year I will be leaving nearly three decades in IT to take a position outside the industry with a non-profit organization.
I give thanks to LRS for enabling me to serve you and leave knowing you are in the best hands. Perhaps our paths will cross again – I hope they will.
Patrick Schmidt is a soon-to-be former Technology Lifecycle Management Specialist with LRS IT Solutions. For more than 28 years, he has been helping customers get a firm grasp on their asset and contract management with a combination of comprehensive service level analysis and lifecycle management best practices.