March is madness and melancholy for me. It's my mother's birth month and death month. It's my youngest's birth month. There's the NCAA finals, St. Patrick's Day - more of a holiday in America than in Ireland - with green beer, green ponds, green this and that's and don't forget a four-leaf clover. Spring arrives, winter leaves, or so we hope - doesn't always happen. If you remember any history, you'll know that Caesar didn't do too well in March. The list of special days is exhausting. There's even a "Multiple Personality Day" on March 5 - celebrating (?) a rare, grossly misunderstood, and horribly misrepresented mental illness.

And yet March is not really that different from any other month. We've managed to clutter our calendars from January to December with special days for everything imaginable. From ridiculouly silly to achingly serious, "there's a day for that." What ultimately matters is how we choose to spend the 31 days of this month. Will we actively look for the goodness that exists all around us? Will we notice everything that is less than perfect (or horribly imperfect) and let negativity become our home base?

I'm going to stick with Aesop, whom I've quoted before: "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." It's a mindset and a lifestyle I recommend.

SUBMISSIONS for the April issue open on 1st of March and close on the 10th. Guidelines, people. Guidelines. The OPTIONAL theme for April is from Shakespeare: "the wise man knows himself to be a fool." Have some fun with that.

Jim