on an extra day...

How many of us have made the wish for more time in a week, or a year? Every four years, we get this odd opportunity to have one. What use do we make of it?

I have a friend who has a birthday on February 29; I think he celebrated his twelfth birthday this year.  He has one big party every four years, and feels like a youngster every time. I have another friend who takes the day off and sleeps as much as she wants to.
 
What do we do with the gift of an extra day? 
 
I have colleagues who have asked their parishioners to do something extra, something out-of-the-ordinary, to commemorate the Leap Day.  I hear that some take the day off work to perform service of some sort or another, others resolve to be cheerful all day to everyone, still others make special contributions to some mission or other.  
 
It isn’t every year we get an extra day, and it isn’t every day we get the opportunity to do something we can do on no other day. 
 
On past Leap Days, I have contacted family members with whom I had not spoken for a while, I have done some work at home taking care of some mundane tasks I had simply let go for far too long, and I have caught up on work. This year, today is a Saturday, and I have planned to be at the farm, taking advantage of the bonus time--there's a kitchen that has to get done. I would have planned something more spectacular, I suppose, if I’d had more time…
 
I wonder why we need an extra day to do all those different things?  Do we need an extra day to show and share kindness, to get the little things done, to tend to the needs of the world?  Upon reflection, probably not.  Maybe we just need a reminder every now and then…