Good. People like to use the word Special,
and that's OK. We're all special in our own
way though. It feels good to
be born on February 29. I probably would not
be so passionate about certain aspects if I
were born on one of those
annual days ;o)
Early on in my
research of why my birth date is not on the
calendar I learned that it represents
balance and harmony
between the calendar and the spinning earth.
Learning this I thought it odd that the
majority of calendars do not put
the words LEAP DAY on February 29. That
baffled me. Leap Day is a celebration of the
calendar and calendar
companies miss it most of the time.
I contacted
Washington D.C. to find out if there is a
law about what holidays are listed and there
is not. Still, after 5
Leap Years (yes, 5, do the math) it will
probably take an act of congress to get
February 29 proclaimed Leap Day.
And that's what we're hoping will happen.
After the
Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies had a
few hundred members from all over the world
I started meeting
Leap Day babies who:
- didn't
know they were born on February 29 until
they were older
- had a
doctor that strongly suggested their Mom
put 2/28 or 3/1 on the birth
certificate, some parents said no,
others chose one of the other dates!
- have a
different expiration date on their
driver’s license than their birth date
- know
they are Leap Day Babies but grew up all
their lives with a Feb 28 birth date on
everything
THAT is sad.
It is illegal
to alter birth certificates, yet it was
done, and still is being offered.
It is illegal
to alter a drivers license, yet they are, by
government agencies like the DMV.
My mission
changed from finding Leap Day Babies for the
club, to helping Leap Day babies with their
identity issues.
Now don't go writing that we have identity
issues in a negative way. We're not seeking
therapy just because our birth
date isn't on the calendar annually. If you
do write about our identity issues, keep it
real. Our identity issues are our
birth certificate and driver’s license being
altered. Two of our top 3 pieces of
identification.
For the
drivers license it's because the computer
system they use isn't programmed for Leap
Years. An easy fix
Peter Brouwer can tell you about. He's my
LeapPartner. Peter and I have had the Honor
Society of Leap Year Day
Babies for over 10 years now. He is a
Canadian and I am an American. We are not a
couple or related. We're just
two Leap Day Babies.
We just got
an email this week from a woman who was born
on Leap Day 1952 but her mother was told to
pick a date.
So she did, Feb 28. My stomach sinks over
that. Leap Day has been happening for OVER
2000 years. Since 46 B.C.
Yes, that's BEFORE CHRIST!
It's about
time February 29 be recognized for what it
is, Leap Year Day. If the calendars listed
the year as Leap Year,
Leap Year 2008, then people will aware of it
and not freak out when it rolls around. If
it said LEAP DAY on February 29
it would remind people when that day is and
that it is.
It's going to keep happening every four
years so the sooner we incorporate it into
our lives the better off everyone will be.
Program the computers, name it on the
calendar, get Leap Year Day Awareness man.
It's not that hard, scary or bad.
Sorry, I get all my Leaped-Up and can sound
rather sarcastic. I really don't mean to.
It's just that no one should have
to go through what some Leap Day babies
do over the proper date on their vital
records.
Our goal is that future Leap Day babies do
not experience the identity issues some Leap
Day babies have, and are.
We would also like to see it changed in the
dictionary. New Year’s Day is in the
dictionary and Leap Year Day is not.
Why? Because it’s not recognized as a
special day in any way. Well, it is. And the
reason that extra day is in
February is because February used to be the
last month of the year. When the order
changed, February maintained
its’ responsibility when moved to the second
position in the year. |
