Just a Day

Is August 28 just a day?

We’re inundated with days. Monday through Sunday days. Holiday days. Anniversary days. Birthday days. Lots of days. Collard festival day….I could go on.

So why should August 28 be any more than just an ordinary day? There was a speech and a rally that day. A big speech, you could easily say. And the rally was a magnificent rally. A lot of people liked that day. And a lot of people didn’t like that day.

Just like any other day, right?

There have been many days in history where people said, “We’ll remember that day and mark it as a day that we’ll treasure.” They take the day, embed it in their heart, and bring it out on special occasions and when company comes by.

Then there are those days when people say, “That day was a horrible day. I’m going to remember that day and make it a day I’ll revile.” They take the day, embed it in their heart, and bring it out when their feelings are tested, or when a reminder of that day, either large or small, brings a bitter feeling to the surface.

And there are those of us who feel a day is just a day is just a day. We wake up, eat, work, lounge, play, work some more, play some more and go to bed. Every day is vanilla. Occasionally, there’s a church day, a birthday, a funeral day, or a weird day. But for some, the days look a lot alike. There’s no treasure, no bitterness, just a brief memory that the day occurred, you were there, and you probably did something forgettable.

And today, how will you feel about this day? Will this be a day of interest? A day of indifference? Maybe you’ll go to the mall and think, ‘I’m going to go shopping on this day in honor of what happened on this day.’ Maybe you’ll make a day that you own and say ‘I don’t like what this day means, so I’ll make this day in my image.’

And somewhere in a nation where the disparity between races and income is wider than it has been in decades, a young person will wake up and say ‘What’s the point?’

I call that a sad day.