I’m one of those guys that loves trivia. I have no idea why, but I consider a gift. My wife, on the other hand, tends to think of it as a curse. For instance, last night while driving home from dinner, Kaitlyn, our eight year old, announced from the back seat that she would very much like for her mother to turn the radio on. In all honesty, her request wasn’t as cordial as I described, but I’m trying to be polite. If you’re reading this, and you have kids, you’ll know they can be proper as royalty when in the presence of others, but when it’s just their parents and/or siblings, their social filter tends to be turned off. So, a song comes on, Young M.C.’s “Bust A Move” to be exact, and my wife reverts back to her teenage self. “John! I haven’t heard this song since I was sixteen!” I couldn’t help myself…I had to correct her.
“Missy, you couldn’t have heard this song when you were sixteen. It came out in 1989, when you were twenty. Remember, it reached Number 7 on Billboard and was made even cooler because Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers played bass, it was released on Island Records and…” I looked over to the passenger seat to see I was once again getting the evil stink eye. She hates it when I get all technical, she “just likes the beat”, and why can’t I “just let her enjoy the song?” Truthfully, I don’t know why I couldn’t just let her enjoy the song. It’s like some uncontrollable urge to share and educate I simply can’t explain.
Like, for instance, just this morning, as I was drinking my third cup of coffee I stumbled across an incredibly entertaining website that lists all the unique holidays found in any given month. So I’m reading up on August, and I have to tell you (there I go again, that need to share), there are some really cool things to celebrate in Month Number Eight, and, believe it or not, they relate to Horizon Goodwill. Check this out:
August 2nd Is International Forgiveness Day
“To error is human, to forgive is divine.” I actually used this line on my wife once when I “forgot” to cut the grass a few weeks ago. It didn’t really generate the results I had hoped for, but maybe that’s because it was mid July? Regardless, everyone deserves an opportunity at a second chance, and Horizon Goodwill is available to help.
August 9th Is Book Lovers Day
Reading a good book is one of life’s simple pleasures, don’t you think? If you haven’t checked out your local Horizon Goodwill store lately for some late summer reading material, you have no idea what you may be missing! I do regret, however, sharing the amazing selection with Missy as, if you recall from my last entry, she discovered this healthy eating book that she now puts to use way too often. Think she would notice if I donated it to Goodwill? Hmm…..
August 11th Is Son And Daughter Day
All you dad’s out there, yes, there is a special day when your daughter actually has to hang out with you! By the time this article goes to print, Son And Daughter Day will have come and gone, but I still have plans to take Kaitlyn to Horizon Goodwill so we both can take part in the Back 2 School Fashion Challenge. What? You haven’t heard about this awesome contest yet? Click that blue link in the sentence above! You don’t want to miss out on your chance to win an iPad Mini!
August 17th Is National ThriftShop Day
Seriously, an entire day dedicated to finding treasures at your local thrift stores! I don’t have to connect the dots on this one, right? Check out as many Horizon Goodwill stores as you can, you never know what you might find! Plus, if you weren’t aware, nearly 90% of every dollar spent at Horizon Goodwill thrift stores is used to fund job training programs for community members with barriers to employment.
See what I mean? Learning new things can be fascinating! Trivial things can often lead to some really exciting experiences. Actually, there was a time when I was a much younger man that meaningless minutiae lead me to being a contestant on a nationally televised game show…but that’s a story for another time.