Leap Day. It is my favorite holiday – has been since elementary school. Oh how I wished and wished that my birthday fell on leap day…or that I’d have a child born on that extra-special spare day that only comes to grace us every four years. No such luck on either accounts… I think initially my young-nerdy-self was blown away by the math of it. I thought it was incredible that some people out there that walk among us, had the wisdom to understand the need for a supplemental 24 hour day every four years. I certainly have never understood why it is not an International Holiday. How can you possibly be expected to work or get on with your ordinary, mundane tasks when you are granted this extraordinary bonus day? Shouldn’t we all be out celebrating together? Rejoicing with the fact that February 29 is unique and magnificent, and without it the world as we know it, and time as we have defined it, simply would not be the same.
What are you going to do with your Leap Day this year - your special gift of 24-hours that are not necessarily supposed to really be there? It seems that there are so many articles written about improving the life of those diagnosed with ADHD – and rightly so. We’ve got hurdles to leap and plenty of places and spaces to de-clutter. There is much value in developing strategies to help overcome our biggest obstacles. But, perhaps we should use our luxury day to truly celebrate ourselves and our unique strengths and magnificent gifts that contribute to making the world what it is. I wouldn’t even ask anyone else for help. What gifts about yourself do YOU cherish the most? Make a list (we’ve heard that a time or two!). What positive traits define you? Your creativity, tenacity, positivity, compassion, insight, humor, persuasion, ability to articulate, athletic ability, artistic ability, musical ability, relationships…? What experiences have you had in life that have contributed to where and who you are today? Make a “Victory List” of sorts. On this extra-special, spare, superfluous day that totally trumps Groundhog Day (another favorite holiday) I wouldn’t even spend any time at all on what’s lacking, or on the experiences or accomplishments that you would still like to have in your future. Make it all about celebrating the present – who you are and how you came to be.
Now, the hard part is keeping track of that list. I have found it to be rather poignant to go back to the Leap Days of the past and read what I thought of myself way back then – but I’m a journal keeper and I write it all down in a journal that is dated and stacked with all my other journals. If I didn’t have that system, I have no idea how I’d keep track of a piece of paper for 4-years. You’ll have to develop a system of your own so that you can remember where to look for your Leap Day List 4 years from now. Or not. Perhaps after the day is done you want to set the list on fire and offer it up to the universe the way that the extra day came and went. Whether you hold on to it or not, the effects are permanent. Spending one day to truly celebrate yourself has great power. It will revitalize your super-hero alter ego and set you up to stand on top of the world. And the world will keep spinning, at a rate of 365 days per year…until the next incredible Leap Day when you will be able to cosmically recharge once again.
