TAKE A LEAP

So, the shortest month of the year will be 24 hours longer. That's all it means... right?
 
Leap years get us all superstitious. We attach strange meanings to things. We think an extra day makes the year magical. But actually, it all comes down to science.
 
Yip, it's all thanks to the solar year being 365.2422 days. Not 365. It takes 365.2422 days for the earth to revolve around the sun. That 0.2422 doesn't sound like much, but it adds up if no one does something about it. Over centuries, the seasons will eventually get messed up and everything will move out of alignment. Basically, the world will get even more crazy-mixed-up than it already is.
 
So, adding an extra day every four years keeps everything in perfect balance. Well, it sorts out the earth's problem of 0.2422. Everything that happens on earth is still crazy-mixed-up – load-shedding, SAA, global politics - but the cosmos can only do so much.
 
And... end science lesson. Begin history lesson.
 
The Ancient Greeks decided to have their Olympics on the first day of spring. And because they were jumping events, this day was called Leap Day. And because they were from Athens, legend has it they were called athletes. And because this information comes from the Internet, it must be true?!
 
Then they decided the Olympics should only happen every four years. Some history books say it's because people needed time to travel to Athens to participate. (Four years, though? Really?!) Other theories suggest the delay was due to battles over broadcasting rights to show the Olympic Games on TV. (Not really...)
 
So, what does all this mean for us? For those of us interested in seeing the world, and helping others to see it too? Well, a leap year is an opportunity to turn things upside down and see things a different way. It's an opportunity for us to put on our glasses backwards. No, not literally... but an opportunity to see things through new eyes. It's like Opposite Day, and a chance for new perspectives.
 
It's also a day for us to step out of ourselves and be bold. So that pair of sunglasses you've been too scared to wear? February 29 is your chance to put them on and step out into the world.
 
Or it's just a day. A day that means nothing more than a mathematical remedy to the problem of 0.2422.
 
So, which is it? Well, that all depends on how you see it.