Just in case you missed it...

   Just in case you missed it, July 2nd was a pretty important day. The date represents the mid point of the year, halfway, meaning there were 182 days before July 2 and there are 182 days remaining in the year after July 2. ( the exception being a 'leap year' of course.) To be more precise, the exact time of the mid point is 12:00 noon, or 1:00 pm for those areas of the world that are on daylight savings time.

   The mid point of anything can be viewed with different meanings and interpretations.

   For example, if you are having a good year, you hope the remaining 182 days continue in the same way. But if you are having a bad year, you hope that day 183 becomes a turning point for you and the remainder of the year is a bit more positive.

   July 2nd is the date for some memorable historical events too. I am sure we all remember the coronation of Emperor Valentinian in the year 437 when he assumed reign of the Western Roman Empire, taking over from his mother. 

   Interesting though. Although he was now the Emperor, his mother still called the shots! Some things never change.

   Perhaps you remember 1698, the year and date that Thomas Savery patented the steam engine. No kidding here. This invention really did change the world and the future.

   July 2, 1776...the date the Continental Congress severed ties with Great Britain, although the Declaration of Independence was not officially announced until July 4^th.

   In 1921, on July 2nd, President Harding signed the Knox-Porter Resolution, formally bringing World War I to an end. Unfortunately it would not be the last conflict involving the United States and others seeking power and control around the world.

   It all began, for Wal-Mart, in 1962, when they opened the doors for the first time in Rogers, Arkansas. And the rest is, as they say... history.

   July 2nd also appears to have been a very popular birth date. But to be honest, there are names on the list of people I have never even heard of, perhaps the one exception being Lindsay Lohan. We all remember Lindsay, right!

   The date also has its share of deaths too, some of the more notable names being Henry the Fowler (943), Earnest Hemingway (1961), Betty Grable (1973), and who can forget Fred Gwynne (1993) of the Munsters' fame.

   It's interesting there are no holidays or significant observances on July 2,nd unless you want to consider World UFO Day. But then ask anyone in the 'know' and they will quickly inform you there are no such things as UFOs, so... there is no real need for UFO day. I mean, when was the last time you saw a little green man (or woman) walking the streets of New York City.

   In case you are having difficulty with the concept of the mid point of the year in terms of days, here is another way of looking at it. As of noon of July 2nd, 4380 hours have past in year 2015 with 4380 yet to go. That means there have been 26,280 minutes to date, many of which I have probably wasted and another 26,280 to go. I wonder how many of those minutes I will waste too? And no, I am not going to break that time down into seconds. Now that would be a real waste of time!

   In our daily discussions with others, we use the expressions of mid point and halfway quite often. “How far into the book are you.?” “ Oh, half way.” How far along into the television show or movie?” “About halfway.” “I am thinking about coming to see the game. Do I still have time?” “The game is at mid point, just beginning the second half.”

   But I wonder what would happen if we knew when we were at the mid point of our life, the middle, half way? Would we make any changes?

   The challenge is that, for the most part, we really don't know when we have reached the middle. We have some ideas, we know when we have less time than more time, but the middle, I am not so sure. And how important is it to know when or where the exact middle actually is anyhow?

   July 2nd of any year may be a good day to sit down with a cool glass of ice tea, a few cookies and take a look back over the first 182 days, do a mid point evaluation. What went well? Are there things that need to change? What can I do to make the remainder of the year as good or better than the first half. 

   In fact, midday of any day could give you a similar opportunity. Is this going to turn out to be a good day or a bad day and if a bad one, what can I do to make it better. The truth may be that perhaps there may be nothing, but at least you're thinking about it.

   We don't really know how long we will live. Maybe, we need to treat each day as if we were halfway and make the future as good if not better than the past.

   And about that 'mid life' thing? Was that really the time I wanted to trade in the minivan for the red Corvette convertible?