Mostly every four years a day is added to the end of February, February 29th, to balance out the Gregorian calendar. Because it doesn’t take 365 days for Earth to orbit around the Sun. It actually takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds, according to the National Air And Space Museum. And this happens “mostly” every four years because if we add “…a Leap Year every four years, we actually make the calendar longer by over 44 minutes.” Wait. What? “The rule is that if the year is divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400, leap year is skipped…the next time a leap year will be skipped is the year 2100” says Bob Craddock in The Science of Leap Year on the website airandspace.si.edu . Apparently, it’s all about the math.
Technicalities aside, an extra day is an extra day. Which reminds me of Mary Oliver’s poem, The Summer Day. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Or at least one wild and precious day, right? This Leap Year February 29th is on a Thursday. But the fact that this year will contain 366 days instead of 365 truly means that you can use your Leap Day any day you wish. A day to daydream. A day to do that thing you’ve wanted to do, for like forever. A day to buy yourself flowers and finally read that book and open the good wine, even if you only have one glass. A day to claim for you alone. To appreciate life. The one you are living the best you can in the situations you’ve been given. The life that is imperfect and not as you thought it would be. Take a day to move your body or sit in stillness, to see and hear and smell and taste and feel all that is around you. Take time to forgive. Take time to make wishes. Take time to be grateful. Take time to write your own story.
Happy Leap Day!!