International Optimism Day

Did you know that yesterday was known around the world as Blue Monday?  According to newspaper reports and even psychology magazines, the third Monday in January is depressing because of the distance from Christmas, the distance from New Years and the lingering anxiety we feel over the debt we've incurred and the resolutions we won't keep. 

According to Wikipedia, Blue Monday was first identified  as part of a travel marketing campaign.  Nonetheless, I found an article from UK Telegraph that would do us all good to listen to every day.  According to a group of Brownies asked for their input on how to avoid the blues, they suggested "Imagine you are on holiday on a tropical island, dress up or borrow your mother's clothes, build snowmen, write to friends and family, and restart your new year's resolution if you've already broken it."

Simple distractions such as those supplied by the children can allow our creativity to refresh and our motivation to accelerate.  You are probably wondering, where is the Optimist Club story here?  Well, it's not Optimist International as we know it, but instead the Optimists Society of Great Britain have declared the third Monday in January to be International Optimism Day.

I like it.  Let's think about adopting it in North America. Are you with me?