In One Ear: Days to ponder
Published 6:00 am Thursday, August 14, 2025
Now that all the hoopla that goes with the Astoria Regatta Festival is over, it’s time to take a break.
Friday is National Relaxation Day, according to the National Day Calendar, which says this particular day off was founded by fourth-grader Sean Moeller in 1985.
“In an interview with Valerie Monson in The Des Moines Register,” the website says, “Sean suggested people shouldn’t do anything of real value. Cleaning and real work are not part of relaxation.” In this case, fourth-grade logic rules.
On Saturday, it’s National Rum Day. No one knows the day’s origin, but the website claims it’s the “third most popular spirit in the United States.”
Third or not, it’s certainly been around for a long time. It’s said that when King George taxed sugar, molasses and rum with the Sugar Act of 1764, which followed the Boston Tea Party tax protest of 1773, it helped provoke the unrest that became the 1776 revolution.
Saturday is also National Tell a Joke Day, which will be a lot easier to do after a tot or two of rum. (Painting: “Henri Guerard Relaxing on the Beach” by Eva Gonzalès)
