Poetry

… aka Read Across America Day 2022 is March 2, 2022.

I never thought reading about a national day of reading would make me feel so much. When I planned this post, I planned to write about how Dr. Seuss was my first favorite author, and how his stories spawned my love of poetry, but then I realized it might be too repetitive (see My Love of Poetry). To keep from being repetitive, I changed tactics and decided to research the day instead. The Mandela Effect had me believing March 2nd was “Dr. Seuss Day” when, in actuality, it is “Read Across America Day” – a day celebrates reading on Dr. Seuss’s birthday because he’s the author that got a LOT of us reading. Easy to confuse, right?

National Educational Association, who founded Read Across America Day in 1998, encourages educational institutions and libraries to inspire people to read. They set up a calendar with suggested readings for every month, not just March… scrolling through their calendar, the following entries sent me sideways.

• Nov 2021: Explore Ancestry and Identity [I don’t have that, I’m adopted]
• Feb 2022: Explore Families and History [Both of mine are broken]
• Apr 2022: Nuture a Sense of Belonging [I’m a white girl with latin culture, always out of place]

Instead of writing an uplifting post about Dr. Seuss’s “day”, here I am sobbing my eyes out over my broken families and lack of true family history. Re-feeling all the rejection I have felt from EVERY facet of of my life, most times twice.

As a writer, I’m supposed to write stories that make you WANT to read what I write. Please forgive me for all the feels. I promise to write something better next time.

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I don’t know if I’m freaked out that the algorithm knew I needed to read this or if the universe sent me this saying on purpose today:

Either way, I think it is a fitting reminder that it doesn’t matter if the people I love do not return their love to me, as long as I love myself. Now, I’m off for some self-care.