Every four years we add a day at the end of February to align the calendar with the Earth’s orbit. We can thank Julia Caesar for recognizing the problem in 46 BCE and coming up with a solution.

Then the system was refined by Pope Gregory in the 16th Century, whereby every 100 years one leap day was to be eliminated. That too was not a perfect solution, so now we add an extra day every 400 years.

If that’s not confusing enough, compare it to the Jewish calendar, which is luni-solar. It has 29 days, alternating with 30 days every month. Then, every three years an extra month is added.

My takeaway from all this is to be aware and mindful of every precious moment we are given while alive.

– Harriet