If EVERY day was Father’s Day (or Mother’s Day), we’d all be a lot happier (even non-parents)!

One of the common refrains that one hears on Mother’s Day and again on Father’s Day is that “every day is _________ Day.” The meaning simply is that we should not need Hallmark, American Greetings, or anyone else to remind us of the importance to honor and appreciate those who brought us into the world, raised us, and continue to serve as sources of guidance, support and inspiration. And they are correct. We really shouldn’t have to have external reminders of such things, much the same way that we would find it to be awkward and unnecessary to proclaim the 3rd Sunday in August (random selection on my part) “Food Day,” because of our appreciation for the food that sustains us each day. Particularly if you are a person of faith, you very well may have built-in mechanisms that remind you each day to recite blessings and express gratitude to G-d for your sustenance and wellbeing.

There is one other consideration to the idea that “every day is ________ Day.” Recently, I had the pleasure of hearing a talk from a mental health professional who spoke on the topic of happiness. He cited findings of researchers who were determined to understand what made people happy. He listed a few things, all of which involved some level of work and effort. One that really resonated with me was the effort that these people made to see the good in others and their lives as a whole. The researchers measured a sample group who were instructed to identify three new positives in others every day for three weeks. Not repeating the same positives every day for 21 days, but identifying new positives. Genuine ones, at that. Not, "nice tie," or something like that. It was not as easy as it may have first sounded. They found that the subjects, by forcing their minds to think positively, to identify the positives in their lives, became happier people.

The next time someone says to you, “every day is _________ Day,” let them know that you agree. But when you do, you should also think about the many blessings that occur in your life, each day, on a regular basis. When you do, you are sure to feel that much happier and fulfilled. And yes, Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there!