Beware the Ides of March

I just happened to hear on the TV that today is the Ides of March. Having taken Latin for 3 years in high school, I am well aware that on the 15th of March, 44 BC Julius Caesar was assassinated, betrayed by not so nice friends.

In case you are wondering what the Ides of March are, according to Wikipedia,, instead of counting through a month sequentially, the Romans counted backwards from three fixed points in the month — the Nones (the 5th or 7th depending on the length of the month) the Ides(13th or 15th) and the Kalends ( first day of the next month). No one can accuse the Romans of being simple-minded.

So, it was on the Ides of March  that Julius Caesar was assassinated.  Various celebrations have surfaced in regards to the Ides of March. Back in the day, (Caesar’s time) people celebrated with picnics, drinking and revelry because as March was the first month of their year, the Ides were included in their new year celebrations. More than two weeks to celebrate  the new year! Well, no one has ever accused the Romans of not knowing how to party! Today we can join the Canadians as they celebrate the day by drinking Bloody Caesar Cocktails.  I personally avoid hanging out with guys named Cassius and Brutus every March 15th.

But what really came to mind when I realized that it was March 15th, was a certificate I came across while I was going through some old school papers to include in my memoir. This certificate was issued to me in 1969.  Only a handful of people will remember the awarding of this certificate. (Kathi, if you are reading this, you might be one who remembers.)

We arrived at school one day and were given a Latin test by the Association For Promotion of Study of Latin. I must admit, I was not taking it  completely seriously. In 1969, I was a sophomore in high school, finishing up my second year of Latin study.  I didn’t think I had  a chance of doing well, and remember writing “et, tu, Brute” as my response to several questions .

Well, either that phrase occurs in Latin far more frequently than one would expect, or those were the 19 points I missed, because imagine my utter and complete shock when sometime later, my name was called to come up and receive my Certificate of Superior Merit, Magna Cum Laude for “Meritorious Proficiency in Latin”, having correctly guessed (?) my way to a score of 101 out of  a possible 120. The incredulous looks on the faces of my friends were an extra kick to receiving this award..

I was sure it had been a mistake, and that the day would come when I would be stripped of my honors and forced to return my certificate to its rightful owner. But that day never came.

A funny aside to this story — I ended up marrying the guy who won this award the previous year. In his case it was well deserved.  I remember returning to my  high school the summer before I married Bill, to help my younger brother pick up his text books for the coming school year. I ran into my religion teacher, Father O’Rourke, who asked how I was doing.  When I told him I was engaged to Bill, he said, “That boy is  a genius, you  know.”

After 37 years of marriage, I tend to agree, and find myself proud to have achieved the same award as a genius. Maybe I really did know more Latin than I gave myself credit for. I did go on to take the optional third year of Latin and I believe  the study of Latin helped me ace the vocabulary section of the SAT.

So, in retrospect, the Ides of March remind me to have a little more faith in myself, or that miracles can occur in the unlikeliest of circumstances, depending on my mood at any given time. And whereas it didn’t turn out well for Caesar in the end, I say, “Carpe Diem! Et tu, lectors?”

(The Canadians have just arrived with the Bloody Caesars. Time to party!)

Staying in Focus: New Beginnings, Resolutions and a Touch of Nostalgia

My kindergarten class of 1959 I’m in the first line, first child on the left

One thing I always associate with the new year is a new journal, filled with empty pages just waiting for me to fill with my thoughts, dreams, fears, hopes and challenges.  I think it hearkens back to the first day of school and a black and white composition book, shiny and new, pages crisp and clean, waiting to be filled with handwriting exercises and homework lessons. By the time the book was filled, the covers were worn around the edges, dog-eared and dog tired.  They had served their purpose, their work done. Or maybe not.  Maybe, they can serve as inspiration for a blog post 55 years later!

For believe it or not, I actually have three of my very first black and white composition books from kindergarten (1958).  These books are more black and sepia-toned now, as they are 55 years old.

Here they are,  my very first composition books! I actually still use black and whites for my “morning pages”, freewriting exercises to get the creative juices flowing. I’m glad, however, that these exercises are not being graded for either handwriting or content.  One of the challenges i have with Parkinson’s disease is keeping

my handwriting legible. Perhaps if I wrote in letters as large as these , I would be more successful.  My kindergarten teacher obviously had a sense of humor when she chose  quotes for us to copy. She sure needed a sense of humor as there were 65 children in my kindergarten class!

I certainly hope I passed this test! I assume it was a test on writing my name, not on knowing it!

I try to write carefully as I begin a new   journal, to start off with positive thoughts, hoping it will set the tone for the new year.  I wait a few days to spell out my resolutions, trying to be honest, but not set myself up for failure. It’s disconcerting to look back in December at those January resolutions and realize I didn’t accomplish any of them!  Better to start with small, reachable goals and add to them as the year goes on.  When I was in college and taking teaching courses, we learned to write specific, measurable goals when writing lesson plans.  Also a  good plan to follow when listing resolutions.  A resolution to lose 50 pounds this year is far more daunting than to resolve to lose 12 pounds by spring, then 12 by summer, etc. The same goes for writing.  Instead of resolving to write the Great American Novel this year, I can resolve to write a page a day, and have 365 pages complete by the end of the year.  I have to see progress to stick with things, so I try to guarantee that when setting my goals.  So much better to find I’ve exceeded my expectations, than to have failed them!

A new year, like a new pair of shoes, needs to broken in gently.  I tend to take things one day at a time lately, and so I intend to enjoy what January may have to offer.  Cold days can be warmed with a bowl of hot soup, a cup of tea and one of those great books I received for Christmas.  When I get a new book by an author I love, I often put off reading it, savoring the anticipation of reading it.  A cold, dreary winter day may be just the right time.

After New Year’s Day, there are no other big holidays in January.   I find that comforting after the big Christmas rush. Things get  back to normal, time to take a breath and relax .January can be a time to plan – for spring planting, summer vacation, visits with family and friends.  Having something to look forward to keeps the blues away. Here in the south, January can surprise us with a sunny day in the 60s or 70s, and occasionally , but fortunately not often, with some snow..  Both have their positive sides.  A warm day invites a call to a friend for a lunch at an outside cafe, and there’s nothing like a snow day as an excuse to stay home from work,  cook up a pot of chili and enjoy an unexpected holiday.  I love to take snow pictures, especially since we don’t often have the opportunity to do so.  But here in North Carolina, a big snowfall can turn into many snow days  if it doesn’t warm up fast.  And as they say, too much of a good thing…  We’ll see what January has in store for us as we celebrate each day.. which is a gift in itself!

January

a month of new beginnings
and yet, a time of waiting –
waiting for the cold to ebb
and for the sun to gather strength
and call forth the leaves and flowers,
waiting for the birds to return
and fill the air with song.
but January has its gifts –
a blanket of freshly fallen snow
gently coating the landscape,
an icy wrap on limb and leaves
glistening in the winter sun,
the bright red of berries and cardinals,
and the green tips of crocus
poking through the warming soil,
to see if it’s time to emerge.
a month of waiting,
a month of hope,
a month of new beginnings
and treasured memories…
– pc 2009

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