Picking the Brain: After the July 4 holiday, plenty of other days remain this month to celebrate

I wasn’t often thought of in school for being an “early bird” when it came to homework and other assignments.

I would usually put off and procrastinate essays until the last possible moment, then feverishly type like my life depended on it to get done and go back to whatever had originally drawn my attention from my task so completely.

The same has rung true as I sit here at my desk the night before my monthly installment on this site comes due. An idea has struck me.

It is always extremely significant both to the past, present, and future of our nation, and it always has the powerful ability to bring our local community together to celebrate the amazing freedoms we enjoy in America. But what about Fourth of July in Hannibal haven’t been written about a kajillion times over?

Now that I think of it, what else is July known for that folks may not know about as well? Guess it’s time to dive in.

The first thing that comes to my mind is that wonderful week-long celebration of all things aquatic, toothy and fully capable of killing you. That’s right, I’m talking about good ol’ Shark Week.

Shark enthusiasts, casual fans and folks who just watched “Jaws” and want to watch a real shark tear something apart can get their fix by gluing themselves to their televisions for a few days. I still don’t completely understand the real reasons behind the fervor and excitement of Shark Week, but I’m definitely here for it.

Several other weeks in July get their own designation. For one example, the third week of the month is National Zookeeper Week. We acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful men and women who work to make our visits to the zoo fun, informative and memorable. Successfully caring for exotic animals is certainly a difficult task that these folks undertake. I don’t know about you, but I like to kick off National Zookeeper Week by sitting back to watch the total box office smash “Zookeeper” starring Kevin James, everyone’s favorite movie mall cop.

A few individual days stick out as well.

July 10 is National Kitten Day. It’s an entire day dedicated to those adorable little animals that dominate the vast majority of social media content. Whether or not you’re a cat person (guilty), who can resist accepting a day to celebrate these little packages of furry cuteness?

Other pets and animals get their own days in July as well. World Chimpanzee Day is July 14, Celebration of the Horse Day is July 15, World Snake Day and Guinea Pig Appreciation Day is July 16, and International Tiger Day is July 29.

There are certain days for special causes as well.

July 11 is Cheer Up the Lonely Day. Do you know someone who might be feeling alone or who spends a lot of time all alone? Pay them a visit and try to make them smile. Are you the person feeling alone?

July 24 is International Self-Care Day. Take a pause from what may be troubling or overwhelming you and spend some time doing what makes you happy or calms your mind.

Going hand in hand with those two days is International Day of Friendship which closes out July on the 30. Let’s reach out to our friends and remind them of how much they mean to us. Maybe we can take the opportunity to make new friends, too.

In the first few days of July, we celebrate the birth of the freest nation on earth and how far it has come since the beginning 247 years ago. We think of who conceived, who built and who made the ultimate sacrifice to make America what it is today. We enjoy Tom Sawyer Days and all of it’s wonderful fanfare which culminates in beautiful fireworks.

After it’s over, we typically find ourselves at a loss for anything else to celebrate. Now you can flow through July with confidence knowing you now have multiple special days ahead of you.

Being her cranky old self, I don’t think Chloe will be taking part in National Kitten Day.

TC Pierceall is a lifelong Hannibal resident, writer, and member of the local music community. He graduated Quincy University in winter 2015 where he studied journalism. TC currently lives in Hannibal with his trusty cat Chloe.