Marching into a new month

According to the weather report as I type this, we’re supposed to get snow showers on the day this goes to print amounting to about an inch of snow. Is that enough to be considered “in like a lion” so March will go “out like a lamb” later? I hope so.

This week, I wanted to highlight a few holidays and observances in March, courtesy of NationalToday.com. For one, today ushers in International Ideas Month. If you’ve ever had a bright idea for an invention, new business or piece of art, consider this your sign to develop that idea and see if you can bring it to fruition.

Don’t forget to set aside time to be creative and let the ideas flow. According to National-Today.com, here are five facts about creativity.

1. Sleep is beneficial. A creative mind is well-rested, enhancing problem-solving skills.

2. Conformity kills creativity. It’s good to think outside the box once in a while.

3. Creative people live longer. Broadened minds with open perspectives have a happier take on life, resulting in less stress and longer lives.

4. Creative people are more likely to be dishonest. It is thought that creative people are more likely to be inventive when it comes to finding loopholes in situations or being unique with their solutions, even if it requires crossing boundaries.

5. Nocturnal people are more creative. Research shows that people who are active at night tend to have better thinking strategies than morning people.

Thomas Edison was a night owl and told Scientific American in an interview in 1889 that he never slept more than four hours a night. He occasionally napped in his laboratory, but didn’t full-on sleep. It’s been said that when he was getting drowsy, he either held a ball in each hand or held a hammer over a pie plate. Then, as he drifted off, he would drop the balls or drop his hand and the hammer would strike the plate, creating a loud noise and waking him before he fully fell asleep. Then he could remember some of the thoughts he had in a semiconscious state.

Researchers have suggested that there is a period of increased insight and creativity during the initial sleep phase called N1, or nonrapid-eye-movement sleep stage 1.

Continuing with the theme of sleep, this month also marks National Bed Month, at least in the U.K. This month was instituted by The Sleep Council, U.K., and the National Bed Federation to raise awareness around the importance of sleep.

Having a comfortable, supportive mattress can greatly impact one’s quality of sleep. It is recommended that a person change their mattress every seven years or so, or earlier if the mattress shows signs of wear and tear. It’s also recommended that you rotate your mattress every six months to prevent that sagging spot in the middle. Finally, I have an answer to the hotly debated question of how often a person should wash their sheets. The Sleep Foundation recommends washing sheets once per week in order to remove the dirt, dead skin cells, body oil, sweat and dust mites that can quickly accumulate.

While on the topic, I want to give a quick shout-out to a worthwhile local charity: Sleep in Heavenly Peace - the Spencer area chapter. They make and provide beds for kids who don’t have one in Spencer and the surrounding areas, including Granton, Greenwood and Loyal. They cover an over 30-mile radius. Visit and follow their Facebook page to see their wish list and find out about upcoming bed builds. They are always looking for volunteers and donations.

Another March observance is Trisomy Awareness Month. “Trisomy” refers to a congenital disorder that occurs when there are three copies of a chromosome instead of the typical two. Down syndrome is one of the most well-known manifestations of trisomy, where chromosome 21 is copied. Trisomy 16, with chromosome 16 getting copied thrice, is the most commonly occurring trisomy during pregnancy.

Another type, Trisomy 18, is also known as Edwards syndrome. This syndrome results in abnormalities in many parts of the body and slow growth before birth. There is only a 5 to 10 percent survival rate beyond 1 year. In our area, Christie woman Sierra Strangfeld founded an organization called Smiling for Samuel to raise awareness about Trisomy 18 and help support families going through the journey of having an infant with Trisomy 18. This organization does regular events and fundraisers. Visit smilingforsamuel.org to learn more.

This Friday, March 3, is World Day of Prayer. This holiday is specifically geared toward encouraging women to pray for world missions. Per NationalToday.com, “Forming a committee in 1897, women from six denominations would eventually start a united day of prayer for home missions. These women took turns in the other participating denominations and organized the common worship service. In 1912, the Woman’s Board of Foreign Missions decided that there should be a united day of prayer for foreign missions that would be observed in different parts of the world.”

In 1926, the first global celebration of World Day of Prayer took place. In 1930, Helen Kim of Korea became the first non-American to write the order of worship for the World Day of Prayer.

Also coming up is Newspapers in Education Week, March 6-10. Started in 1982, this weeklong observance encourages educators to use newspapers in school to promote literacy and develop a reading culture among children. There are countless school assignments that can come from a newspaper, and it can open up conversations about credible versus non-credible news sources, fact versus opinion, the importance of freedom of the press, etc. I hope the week causes a few students to crack open a newspaper that might otherwise not have.

Finally, I watched “Jesus Revolution” in the theater last weekend and really enjoyed it. I encourage you to go check it out, especially if you want to the history of how those “Jesus People” of the 70s came about.

Have a wonderful week!

Striking a

Chord...