Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 110

Women’s Equality Day

First recognized in 1973 by the U.S. Congress, this day commemorates the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” 

—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

First lady of the United States 1933-1945

“A woman is human. She is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given. A woman is human.” 

–Vera Nazarian (1966 –  )

Russian-American writer

Go For It!

 

 

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

— Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

Irish-born British statesman & philosopher

Vesuvius Day

Each year, this day pays tribute to the most well-known eruption of one of history’s deadliest volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius, still active today. From August 24-25, 79 AD, the mountain violently spewed 1.5 million tons per second of molten rock and hot ash, obliterating the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and a couple of other surrounding villages in the Italian region of Campania just southeast of Naples. The event released 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombing tremors were common throughout the region, but the warnings of small earthquakes preceding the massive eruption had not been recognized.

 

Sir Ronald and I felt honored to tour Pompeii on our first visit to Italy. But, in all seriousness, in subsequent Italian travels, exploring still mostly buried city of Herculaneum was even more amazing.

Though most citizens had evacuated, the Roman Empire city of Pompeii was buried under 19 feet of ash and other volcanic debris, which preserved it for centuries before the ancient ruins were discovered in the late 16th century. Buildings there dated back to the 4th century BC.

 

Herculaneum, an ancient city of Greek origin,  sat just 5 miles from the western base of Vesuvius, and the then luxurious seaside town was buried under 75 feet of molten lava. Centuries later the Naples suburb town of Ercolano (now with a population of 50,000) was unknowingly built on top of Herculaneum, the location of which had long been forgotten. That is until it was discovered by accident in the 18th century during the digging of a well. The first wall that was discovered turned out to be part of the stage of the Herculaneum theatre.

 

The National Museum of Naples contains amazing artifacts. Between those and the remains of the ancient cities, we get a time-capsule of Roman Empire life in 79 AD.

Stand and Swim

“In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

— Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)

Founding Father; 2nd US Vice President & 3rd US President

(Thanks to Julius Silver for the photo taken in Portugal.)

National Be an Angel Day

Not that we need reminders that being kind is always best, but we sometimes might forget how meaningful a touch of caring can be to someone else. We can’t walk in someone else’s shoes or fully understand someone else’s struggles, but we can listen. We can care.

We can remember to simply say “thank you” whenever someone does something nice. We can also recognize someone else’s good deed by paying it forward. Perhaps we can afford a very grand gesture, like sponsoring someone’s education or work project. Perhaps we can afford to share a slice of our most precious resource… time. Perhaps we can shine light in someone’s otherwise dark corner.

Keep in mind that we all have a quiet place in our hearts and minds where we wish for silver linings to those difficult storms. We can all become like angels on earth by giving someone else a hand up… a thoughtful word… or a sincere acknowledgment of their importance.

Go ahead. Be an angel today.

Success and Failure

 

“It is wise to keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.”

— Roger Babson (1875 – 1967)

American entrepreneur

(Photo by Gerd Altmann)

Try a Little Kindness

 

“Some show respect and kindness to their partners. Some show nastiness and belittlement to their partners. Both gain control. The first is given it willingly. The other takes it as if by right, although it is utterly wrong.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin

Author – The Bimbo Has Brains… and Other Freaky Facts

(Quiet Thunder Publishing, 2017)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

“What if I told you 10 years from now your life would be exactly the same? Doubt you’d be happy. So, why are you afraid of change?”

— Karen Salmansohn

American self-help author

(Image by Gerd Altmann)

Love!

“The human heart, at whatever age, opens only to the heart that opens in return.”

— Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849)

British writer

Baby Boomers Recognition Day

I am in the demographic group known as the Baby Boomers. We are those born between the end of World War II (1946) and 1964. Baby Boomers are known for “rejecting and redefining traditional values.” So true…  I mean, the Flower Children live here. We took pride in being informed citizens and questioning government.

While being very capable, we do now feel the pinch of age discrimination. A bizarre slice of poetic justice for the generation that said not to trust anyone over 30… and now we are all well over 30.

While we are often cast as the scapegoats for political jousting and social ills, some fine accomplishments are credited to the Baby Boomers coming of age.  For example, safer driving evolved with seatbelt laws. We are the generation of crazy road trips, dedication to public service and volunteerism, and standing up for gender equality. We protested against war, ended the Cold War, ushered in an era of freedom, and we worked for environmental protection. We launched Saturday Night Live and turned movies into culturally iconic series.

Baby Boomers invented the Internet (noooooo…. It was not Al Gore), personal computers, the USB port, screen time, the Flex-Foot prosthesis, text-to-speech technology, the automated external defibrillator, the disposable cell phone, and Viagra. Baby Boomers also made great advances in areas such as forensic science, including DNA fingerprinting. And New York-born and New Hampshire’s own “Einstein,” better known as Dean Kamen, racked up a number of important inventions. From the ambulatory infusion pump and the portable dialysis machine to the Segway and the iBot, I believe he will be easily recognized and remembered as the greatest inventor of our time.

We Baby Boomers also became the American “sandwich” generation, caring for both youngsters and elders. We have a legacy in social attitudes. And, oh, yes! Baby Boomers put the “rock” in rock & roll music, as it became central to our teen subculture.

See it all as good, bad, or indifferent. That is fine. But with life expectancy dramatically increased, we are not done yet!

(Image by Christian Dorn)