Observing National Eye Exam Month.

Yes, there is a month to encourage people to get an eye exam.

As school is starting, it is a great time to get an eye exam to see if there have been any changes or if the little angel needs glasses.

If you already wear glasses, then you are aware of how much, or little, your eyes can change in just two years. 

In 800 BC, an Indian surgeon named Sushruta describes 76 ocular diseases, as well as several ophthalmological techniques and instruments, according to nationaltoday.com

Or how about National Just Because Day on August 27? After all, it is just because day so you don’t need a reason to celebrate anything. Sounds a lot like Random Acts of Kindness Day, which is February 17.

However, Just Because Day is towards people you know or just because you feel like it. Examples I found included make spaghetti for breakfast wearing last year’s Halloween costume, or to climb a tree as an adult. 

Random Acts of Kindness Day (RAK) is to encourage acts of kindness.

There is also a RAK Friday on November 29 which kicks off RAK week in November.

World Kindness Day is November 13.

Thursday, August 22 is National Tooth Fairy Day as well as National Take Your Cat to the Vet Day.

Wednesday, August 21, is National Senior Citizen Day. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the day to ‘gives us ample reason this year to reserve a special day in honor of the senior citizens who mean so much to our land.’ 

The proclamation reads:

“Throughout our history, older people have achieved much for our families, our communities, and our country. That remains true today and gives us ample reason this year to reserve a special day in honor of the senior citizens who mean so much to our land.

With improved health care and more years of productivity, older citizens are reinforcing their historical roles as leaders and as links with our patrimony and sense of purpose as individuals and as a Nation. Many older people are embarking on second careers, giving younger Americans a fine example of responsibility, resourcefulness, competence, and determination. And more than 4.5 million senior citizens are serving as volunteers in various programs and projects that benefit every sector of society. Wherever the need exists, older people are making their presence felt—for their own good and that of others.

For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older—places in which older people can participate to the fullest and can find the encouragement, acceptance, assistance, and services they need to continue to lead lives of independence and dignity.”

So, whatever day you opt to observe this week or month, take some time to spend with a senior in your family or neighborhood. You will learn a great deal from them and in turn, they will learn from you. In the process, it will open your eyes to see the world in a different perceptive while spreading random acts of kindness, all just because.

Dawn Burleigh is the editor of The Orange Leader. She can be reached at dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com