National Pie Day

Today we celebrate a dish that is synonymous with home. And where you are from determines how you'll be celebrating. 

Welcome to January 23rd on the National Day Calendar. Who doesn’t love pie? Our feelings about pie are tied to the places we call home.  If youre from England this means the savory kind with some kind of stewed meat and spices, but in America this means dessert. And its not just one of those driving on the wrong side of the street differences.  Pie is part of our identity.  When Mark Twain wrote A Tramp Abroad after traveling through Europe he made a list of all the foods he would eat upon returning to his home in America, apple pie, peach pie, pumpkin pie, and squash pie.  And to drive the point home, his recipe for English pie went as follows, construct a bullet proof dough, fill with stewed dried apples aggravated with cloves, then solder on the lid and set in a safe place till it petrifies.  Serve cold at breakfast and invite your enemy.  Things have certainly improved since 1880, but one thing is sure, on National Pie Day folks will celebrate with the flavor of their home.   I’m Marlo Anderson with the National Day Calendar.  See you again tomorrow as we Celebrate Every Day!

Today is also National Handwriting Day. Today encourages us to put pen to paper and write out our thoughts. According to the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association, it is a chance for all to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.

While technology speeds up the writing process and makes communication more efficient worldwide, there’s something to be said for writing something out longhand. Whether it’s a journal, notes, or even a letter to someone, the act of writing with pen and paper is a supremely tactile and patient practice. If it does anything, it forces the body and the mind to slow down and resynchronize.

Look around. In merely seconds, letters and words form when we text or email. Phones transmit our voices in realtime. Once sent or said, those words cannot be recalled.

Meanwhile, writing longhand feels like taking a deep breath. Jumbled thoughts must be sorted before the ink spills onto a white page. They must count and be worthy of the lines that will fill it. It’s an exercise in faith. And it requires practice, too.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalHandwritingDay 
Whether you’re out of practice or execute some beautiful handwriting, share a little handwritten message with us. Here are a few other ideas to try:

Start a journal.
Send a handwritten letter to a friend or family member.
Write a short story or poem.
Take a calligraphy class.
Write out a to-do list.
Leave a love note for someone dear to you.
Compliment someone with a handwritten sticky note.
Pay with a check – if you dare.
Leave your server a tip and a handwritten word of thanks for their service.
Work on your handwriting and use #NationalHandwritingDay to post on social media.