Last year, my husband and I made a bucket list trip (for me anyway) to Punxsutawney to see the Phil, the celebrity groundhog. You see, Feb 2 is a special day for me for various reasons. It’s the birthday of my good friend, Dacia, who would be sad to know that I gave a shout out to Phil before her on this day. Sorry, Dacia. You are as special as the groundhog, I promise.
Groundhog’s Day has been a special day for my friend Rick and me for a long time. We call it Marmot Day as an homage of our mutual love of Lebowski lore. The celebrations have morphed over the years, but they generally include spouting terrible puns, going bowling, watching Lebowski (of course), and then watching the epic Groundhog’s Day with Bill Murray et al. We’ve managed to recruit a few festive followers over the years, including my friends Tammy and Scott, whom we call Tscott (pronounced tot–the SC is silent). Oddly enough today is National Tater Tot Day, so that works well. I digress.
My point (yes, there is one) is that February 2 is all about friendship for me. My friends keep me laughing, give me support, and make me feel loved. And studies show that friendship is linked to resiliency for students and for teachers. Therefore, in a very groundhoglike manner, I do proclaim the theme of my February posts to be about friendship and its ability to promote resilience and prevent burnout. Happy Friendship February, everyone!
