{"id":5707,"date":"2024-02-29T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=5707"},"modified":"2024-02-28T15:16:03","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T20:16:03","slug":"an-extra-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/an-extra-day\/","title":{"rendered":"An Extra Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every four years we\u2019re lucky enough to have an extra day in our calendar year to give us a special excuse for celebration: Leap Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, you understand that leap year signifies more than just a day of catching up with Earth\u2019s alignment of the sun \u2014 it\u2019s a whole extra day of the year. 24 extra hours to do anything you choose. It seems unfitting to spend this day doing the same things I do just about every other day. I\u2019m specifically going to spend my extra time doing something special. And I hope you too can make the most of this extra day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leap Day<\/h3>\n\n\n
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It takes the Earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds to circle once around the sun. However, the Gregorian calendar we rely on today has only 365 days. If we didn’t add an extra day to our shortest month about every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After a century, our calendar would be off by about 24 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julius Caesar introduced the first leap year around 46 B.C., but his Julian calendar had only one rule: Any year evenly divisible by four would be a leap year. That actually created too many leap years. Julius Caesar’s leap year concept wasn’t bad, but his math was a little off; the extra day every four years was too much of a correction. To remedy this, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced a slightly modified version of the Julian calendar, the Gregorian calendar which cleaned up the math a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some Leap Day \u201ctraditions\u201d but nothing quite like giving love notes on Valentine\u2019s Day or pinching the poor souls that don\u2019t wear green on St. Patrick\u2019s. Here are just a few\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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Contrary to popular belief, leap years don\u2019t happen every 4 years. There’s a leap year every year that is divisible by four, but to qualify, compliments of Pope Gregory, century years (those that end in 00) must also be divisible by 400. So, the year 2000 was a leap year, but the years 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There actually once was a time when February 29th wasn’t recognized by English law and didn\u2019t legally exist. Anything taking place on February 29th was not subject to any laws. Sounds like a good day to get away with something heh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know people who are born on leap day are called Leaplings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to some time-weary tradition, it’s okay for a woman to propose to a man on February 29th. The custom has been attributed to various historical figures including St. Bridget, who is said to have complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait too long for their suitor to pop the question. The obliging Patrick supposedly gave women one day to propose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, Leap Day is still used to keep the earth\u2019s calendar in check, but why not use it as an opportunity to add a fun little spin to things. Instead of treating February 29th like just an extra day on your planner, I suggest you turn Leap Day into a full-blown special day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a scrapbooker, I\u2019ve decided to start a new tradition and thought you might also find it fun\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set A \u201cNext Leap Day\u201d Goal<\/h3>\n\n\n
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If you read my New Year\u2019s post<\/a><\/strong> you know how I feel about resolutions. Sometimes one year isn\u2019t enough time to accomplish all your goals. Some goals take a bit longer, and that\u2019s absolutely okay. How about setting a \u201cNext Leap Day\u201d goal instead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about something you\u2019d like to accomplish by the time the next Leap Day rolls around. It can be as vague as \u201cget better at organizing\u201d or as detailed as \u201cget caught up on my granddaughter\u2019s scrapbook\u201d. It\u2019s really up to you! Setting long-term goals can give you a greater sense of purpose as you cross out the smaller tasks along the way, such as completing 10 scrapbook pages in a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve set your goal, it\u2019s time to get at it. You\u2019ve got four years to crush it though, so no need to rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Letter to Your \u201cNext Leap Day\u201d Self<\/h3>\n\n\n
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While you\u2019re setting a goal for next Leap Day, take a little bit of time to sit and think about all the possibilities that could occur in the next four years. You could get a new job, start a new business, travel more, retire, accidentally create a viral meme that thrusts you into fame and radically changes your life, buy a house \u2014 the options are endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the spirit of self-reflection and honesty, write a letter to that future version of yourself. According to Coley Lane at Life Goals Co<\/a><\/strong>., writing a letter to your future self helps make your aspirations concrete and increases the likeliness you\u2019ll achieve them. If you don\u2019t know what to write about, just jot down what your Leap Day 2024 was like, then four years from now in 2028 you can see what\u2019s changed, what\u2019s stayed the same, and if you accomplished that Leap Day goal you set!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re worried about forgetting you wrote this letter\u2026there\u2019s actually an online tool that will let you write a letter and have it emailed to yourself at some date in the future. FutureMe<\/a><\/strong> allows you to write and email a letter to your future self on a specific date. It\u2019s practically time travel!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fill Your Day with Kindness<\/h3>\n\n\n
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While you definitely should try to do at least one act of kindness each day, Leap Day is a special excuse to add on a few more! Here are a few suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n