A Lit Leap
Albeit new and still settling in, 2024 is already being generous. It’s a leap year, and for the first time since the panorama, we get an extra.
A 29th day.
A longer Black History month.
A total of 366 in 2024.
Since February 29th isn’t a date we get to experience often, and is a phenomenon that challenges us to engage this new and sporadic day thoughtfully we thought we’d lean in with the spirit of abundance and think about how we plan to embrace the ‘extra’.
For a brief nerd-out moment and a refresher for those who may have forgotten astronomy 101: the reason there are leap days, and years, is because of the Earth's orbit. The amount of days it takes for the Earth to complete a full revolution around the Sun is not a whole number. The 365 days we experience is actually 365.2422 days, according to National Geographic. When added, four 0.2422 days roughly equal one full day. If forgotten, this fractional day would add up, causing shifts in seasons, harvesting crops, impacting other aspects of life as we know it. This is why leap years exist. Feb. 29 is added to the calendar of most years that are divisible by four, including 2024.
Now that we know the scientific why, let’s consider the Betterness now what.
Choosing to see the leap day as a bonus is a perspective shift all its own. Instead of considering it as another day relegated to obligation, think about how it can be a day of indulgence. Instead of bemoaning the adulting we have to do, what could it look like to mindfully engage that we get to? Whether you consider it intentional reframing or a mild case of delusion, we’re choosing to take the extra day and make it a moment for us, about us. So, let’s make the leap day one that focuses on wellness, care for ourselves, generosity and making it one that moves us in the direction we want? Need ideas? We got you:
A few Betterness tips to make your leap day…lit.
- Make the number 29 a pronounced part of your day. Take a 29 minute walk. Meditate or pray for an additional 29 minutes. Stretch and move your body intentionally for 29 minutes and pay attention to how you feel as you do it.
- Give yourself $29 dollars to splurge on yourself. You deserve, sis!
- Make it ball-on-a-budget a date day. Get creative and challenge yourself, or you and a partner, to go on a date with a $29 dollar budget. See how far it takes you and make it fun!
- Take a few hours off and camp in a coffee shop or library. Turn the phone to DND and lose yourself in a book or self-study. At minimum, get 29 pages in.
- Write two letters: one to yourself and another to someone you love. Date it and make a plan to open it next leap year.
- Pay it forward: pay for someone’s coffee, volunteer, or make a donation to an organization doing work you believe in. Consider how you can make the day one that is a blessing to someone else.
- Get yourself a BETTERNESS BOX. (Did you think we wouldn't unshamelessly plug?!) Make a commitment to making the rest of your year one that prioritizes your own care and make an active and willing investment in yourself.
We could continue, TRUST. But the extra day will only be what you choose to create. The blessing of time is invaluable and it is your wellness right to make it one that fuels, recharges, and adds what you need to the life you’re creating.
Make it good. Make it extra. Make the leap…LIT.
