Just Because. . .

Word of the Week

Magnanimous (mag-nan-uh-mus): A fancy word for kind. It comes from the Latin words magnus meaning "great" and animus meaning "spirit."

Salve!

This week, I don't have a specific art project or game or recipe to share with you. Here's why. Friday, August 27th is National Just Because Day. And yes, it's exactly as it sounds. It's a day to do pretty much anything, just because!

Want to wear goggles around the house and pretend you're swimming in a giant tank? Go for it.

Want to eat ice cream for breakfast? This is the day to make an exception!

Want to create a whole new dance routine to perform while baking a cake? Great idea!

Create a new name for everyone to use for the day by combining the color of their shirt with the last thing they ate. My name for the day would be Blue Peach. Fun, right?

Over the years, we've seem some pretty crazy trends that people had to have thought up just because.

• 1920s: Pole sitting was all the rage. Yes, sitting on a pole for as long as you could. Hmmm. . .

• 1950s: Phone booth stuffing was apparently fun. People would cram as many people into a single phone booth as possible. The record was 25! No, thank you.

• 2000s: Planking became very popular. You'd find teenagers (really people of all ages) in a plank on any surface imaginable.

While I highly encourage you to have some goofy fun to celebrate the day, I encourage you to do something good, too. Be magnanimous. Do something kind. . .just because!

I know that kindness keeps coming up again and again in these blogs. That's because kindness matters, and we need to throw it around like confetti as much as can in this world! What are some completely random things that you can do to spread kindness? Try to think outside the box.

• Go on a walk and pick up trash that you find.

• Donate food to your local pantry even if they aren't holding a food drive.

• Donate your allowance to a good cause.

• Pick flowers from the garden to hand out to people you come across. But make sure the flowers are approved for picking, first!

• Write encouraging words on sticky notes like, "The world is better with you in it," and stick it on someone's windshield.

Do whatever your heart desires! Within reason, that is. Why? Just because.

Until next time. . .

Gram