National Carpe Diem Day!

Yes, National Carpe Diem Day is a reality, thanks to my family and friends! What a surprise! Creating a National Day was going to be my next "big project" and now it's already done, and in such a sweet way, by people I love.

Sushi dinner on National Carpe Diem Day (and my 60th birthday!)

Scotty, Stella, and Matt, with "carps" representing all the people who contributed to making Carpe Diem Day

My kids had gotten friends and family to chip in to create a National Carpe Diem Day, complete with Website, with the sweetest tribute, including the story of my inspiration, my friend, Craig who had ALS.

Who created this day? Carpe Diem Day was made by the friends and family of Yvette Francino. She is the spark that ignites love and creativity in everyone around her. People started to associate Yvette with this phrase after the 2014 “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, when she became “Super Carpe Diem Woman” and raised over $12,000 through 12 ice buckets for the cause. Yvette herself was inspired by her close friend, Craig Dunham, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2008 and died in 2010. In those two years he lost the ability to walk, talk, and eventually to swallow. However, he never lost the ability to love, and he seized every moment of his life until the end. Inspired by his example, Yvette makes sure to radically participate in and enjoy the present moment with everyone around her. Through this, she inspires others to do the same. At the core of Carpe Diem Day is to not put off to tomorrow doing what you love–with the people you love–when you can do that today.

Of course, now I'm more determined than ever to live up to this beautiful tribute! Seizing the Day is about every day, and I certainly have been enjoying every day in this first week of being 60!

There are so many things I'd like to do to promote the Carpe Diem mindset..  I even bought the CarpeDiemDay domain name! There's all kinds of social media stuff I could do on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn..  But.. fussing with all that social media stuff would also take time and I'm having too much fun seizing these Floridian sunshine days, enjoying the life of a snowbird, so it will have to wait.

I will post a few particularly fun pictures from my week, though, and do more with my Carpe Diem social media strategy next week!

At the Chihuly Museum in St. Petersburg, FL

The St. Petersburg Beach with Matt & Stella

Sarasota - Marietta Museum of Whimsey

Selby Botanical Gardens

I've transformed into a lovely butterfly!