Dear Readers, It’s Spring Break in Texas, and I’m sitting in a wood-paneled pub, making an attempt to feel a little more “spring breaky” myself as I write this column. I just took a tequila shot, but instead of salt and lime, I chased it with a slice of orange sprinkled with cinnamon — which is a pretty common way that folks take their tequila here. Honestly, it’s really quite pleasant. (Seriously, if you try this, please write to me and share your thoughts!) That’ll be the only tequila shot I am consuming (this quarter?) which is a very different calculation from my days of “March madness” down in South Padre Island as a young college coed.
Not to brag, but I *did* see Vanilla Ice in concert four, yes four, times… once at Gordo’s on the square in SMTX and thrice during spring breaks on the island. To be fair, it was the 90s. Vanilla Ice’s album was my very first musical cassette tape that I ever owned. While that may have been years earlier, in 5th grade, it was still exciting to see the “too cold” spectacle (even though it’s so cringey to explain it these days). It was the time of Jerry Maguire and “show me the money,” though Vanilla shouted out for other things to be shown to him on stage. If you were in Padre in those days, you know what I’m talking about. If you weren’t, well, consider yourself spared.
Often, St. Patrick’s Day occurs during Spring Break, but this year, it falls on the Monday that folks return to work and school. Here in Portugal, St. Patty’s is not really a “thing,” but a local group of “expats” will be holding a pub crawl this weekend in honor of the occasion as an excuse to gather and celebrate. One fella on the internet took issue with the invitation to the event and vehemently believed that March 17 is absolutely THE ONLY day that people can celebrate. It got me to thinking about how people oftentimes try to police and enforce arbitrary “rules” around holidays such as when you are “allowed” to put up your Christmas/Halloween decorations and when it’s acceptable to wear white or open-toed shoes according to Labor Day/Easter schedules. And how dare you eat your raisins beyond midnight on New Year’s Eve?
Personally, I don’t see the harm in celebrating anything that you dang well please. And whenever it makes sense for you. Your dog’s half-birthday? Sure! Having successfully completed your income tax return by yourself for the first time? Get it! The anniversary of that time? Yes! Who cares? What’s the harm?
The world is already full of rules. Why add more? Celebrate when and how you want. If you need a reason, make one up!
I have my very own reason to celebrate April 30 that has nothing to do with cultural traditions and everything to do with personal triumphs, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about my “holiday” and how it fits on someone else’s calendar.
Let’s quit letting strangers on the internet (or our neighbors for that matter) tell us when to be joyful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I just found a reason to order one more tequila shot — strictly for research purposes, of course.
XOXO,
Kelly Stone is an educator, comedian, mother, and author who loves the heck outta the river. She welcomes e-letters at kellystone.org or kellystonecomedy@gmail.com and adores handwritten notes and postcards via good ol’ snail mail: R das Combatentes da Grande Guerra 47, FRAC R, Aveiro, Portugal 3810-087.
