Leap This!
by Richard
Yep, it’s just about that time of the cycle. Every four years we get that special, magical time called the Leap Year! And on that wonderful, rare and incandescent moment of the Leap Day we get. . . just another day.
wheeeee.
Not really sure why some folks make a big deal out of the Leap Year, probably something to do with scarcity. That is, it only comes around once every four years and, because it’s so rare, it must be important.
By that rationale, since we rarely get a nasty smelling foot fungus, it must be important and something to celebrate. Or not.
The leap year actually does serve an important purpose. See, the seasonal or astrological years (the actual passage of time in the real universe outside of human measuring systems) doesn’t pass in neat, one-day (or 24-hour) increments. There’s partial days in there.
Because of those partial days, if we didn’t have the extra day thrown into a Leap Year every four years, our calendar would gradually drift off correlation with the real world around us. It might be that we’re celebrating Christmas in the northern hemisphere with Santa on his water skis, pulled behind the swimming reindeer. Or enjoying our summer break by going out and snowsledding down a hill.
You get the point.
Basically, what we’re celebrating is a mathematical error-correction mechanism.
I mean, really, the only people who should be celebrating today are those born on this day. They only get to celebrate their actual birthday every four years. The other three years in the cycle, they have to celebrate on Feb. 28 or March 1. And that’s no fun.
So, here’s to you, Leap Dudes! Enjoy your birthday (for realsies) today!
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