We all need a Lion's Day

Phew, it’s all but over         

The calendar is about to flip. February will soon be a memory.

It seems to be the month that pretty much everyone is happy to see go. No one says, “TGI-February.”

Even Don McLean said February made him shiver. Did you know the root word, “februo” means “I purify by sacrifice?”

Nothing about that sounds cheery or pleasant.

February days seem colder and darker—even gloomier—than any other days of the year.

Perhaps that’s why we try so hard with food-driven holidays to cheer ourselves up; first with the chocolate and wine of Valentine’s Day, and then with the gourmandise of Mardi Gras, when historically we feast on goodies like donuts and pancakes and party in full swing before beginning the penance of Lent.

In managing to while away the time before spring begins in earnest, we need to have something worthy of extreme concentration. Even in the beautiful Okanagan, those who have not had a break from winter’s cold clutches may be feeling cabin fever by now and they need something special to draw their attention away from yet another cold front.

I propose that we create a new festival on March 1 to celebrate the end of shivery February and the start of the rest of the year. They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Well, perhaps we ought to follow that advice heartily and let loose a heartfelt ROAR to get our blood moving.

With this new “Lion’s Day” in mind, I recommend activities indicative of the day’s namesake. Namely, the activities listed below, taken from a research article on lion habits in South Africa:

Lions are active at night, early morning and towards sunset, although they do sometimes hunt during the day. They are generally lethargic: they exert themselves for short periods and then spend long periods of slow movement or relaxation.

(Despite their apparent obliviousness to their surroundings during resting periods, they can become aggressive quickly if suddenly or unduly disturbed.)

Drinking is a social event and the pride tends to move to water en masse, usually crowding together in the manner similar to that maintained during feeding.

The more I consider this prospect, the more I feel confident that we could emulate this pattern with moderate to full success. It’s important to note we would likely adopt the same protective behaviour of becoming aggressive if someone interrupted our relaxation.

Additionally, I find it interesting drinking and eating are social events in prides. We seem to have fallen upon just the creature to use as a symbol of the good life, don’t you think?

Now, there are many ways we could go from here.

You could take the Disney approach and begin to hum “Hakuna Matata” (which is by the way a real Swahili expression actually meaning “no worries”).

The males in our readership pool may want to find their inner predator and fire up the grill (all you need to do is cook it remember – it is the lioness that does the hunting). 

Or, perhaps you are more the quiet type and would prefer to lurk in the long grass and contemplate your kingdom? Ladies can follow the pride’s tradition of “hunting” in groups.

We don’t have the African savannah, but we do have Orchard Park Mall.

If it’s more “long periods of slow movement or relaxation” you want, then a spa would be a reasonable facsimile, wouldn’t it?

Now that February is almost over, you need not fret; the worst is behind us. Even those who do not want to celebrate with a chunk of meat on the grill but may prefer fresh veggies can also rejoice at the imminent return of farmers’ markets.

We may not have those fresh local items yet, but we could pull something from the freezer or even just revel in the slightly longer days. It all gets better from here on in.

Happy Lion’s Day!

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.