June 21, 2012 - World Handshake Day

Do not, I repeat, not, get today mixed up with June 28th's National Handshake Day. This is World Handshake Day!

This “holiday” is the brain child of one Ivan Zupa, who heard the following words from an old man:

“My son, place your hand here in the sea and you are united with the whole world."

Zupa's idea is that we should take the time to put our hands in the sea and shake hands with the whole world, and feel united. If you don't live close to the sea, you could put your hand in any body of water that runs to the sea to still shake hands with the world. Of course, I live close to neither, so there has to be a dry land option, too!!

Today might be a good day to...

• Donate time or money to protecting the ocean. Check out One World One Ocean. 

• 
  Read Paddle-to-the-Sea, by Holling C. Holling. Or watch this short movie version:
  Part 1, 
  Part 2,
  Part 3. 
  Note: book and movie are quite different. Both are good—so try to read and watch and compare the two!

• Shake the hands of the people you see today, and wish everyone a very merry World Handshake Day. Hopefully, you'll feel a bit of unity in your little corner of humanity!

Also on this date:

National Aboriginal Day in Canada