I’ve probably told this story before. When I was six years old my mother forgot about St. Patrick’s Day and I went to school wearing a red plaid dress. I had a lovely green dress with tiny pink rosebuds that I could have worn if I had known. Almost right away a boy in my class pinched me. I don’t know if people still do that but it used to be that if you didn’t wear green on St. Patrick’s Day people were supposed to pinch you. At the time I had no idea what it was all about. I just thought this kid pinched me for no reason at all. And by the way, he wasn’t wearing green either. He was wearing a white shirt with beige stripes.

That might be why it is still rather important to me to wear green on St. Patrick’s day but I really don’t think that’s it because it didn’t upset me that much at the time. I know the day has a history that I don’t really have any connection with (though some of my ancestors were Irish) and to some people it’s all about going to an Irish themed bar and getting drunk on green beer, but what it means to me is a day to welcome spring. It’s a few days before official spring but it’s already beginning to look like it and wearing green or decorating with green seems perfectly appropriate. It seems to me that it’s just a simple day with no pressure or obligation, just an opportunity to have a some fun.

I feel just a bit of amused contempt toward people who wear only a tiny bit of green or an off-green just so they can say they’re wearing green. I say wear it loud and proud or don’t bother. It’s not a big, important holiday. Participation is optional. It’s just fun that’s all so either have fun with it or just ignore it.

I couldn’t find a St. Patrick’s themed picture that I liked so here’s just a nice spring picture with a lot of green.

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