Buck Leans About Anniversaries

It was through the lady’s embarrassed stammering that she simply couldn’t understand how she forgot followed by the rapid questions “well what is the date today?” and “how many years has it been?”  plus the conversation that followed that Buck was able to piece the custom of anniversaries together. 

 It seems that folks celebrate many life events and to take an event to a place of honour the date that it originally happened on is remembered with special acts (called traditions) every single year.  Now having agreed that an event is worthy of an anniversary and observing it’s traditions,   it is also agreed that everyone who takes part sees it as an important event,  one worth remembering.   To forget this on any specific year (but especially after the second year or so) makes it appear that its importance has diminished over time.   This is okay if everyone forgets but if only one person forgets  it’s a rather serious infraction and requires some explaining in the form of say excuses or a series of rapid questions to deflect from that infraction.

It was when the ambassador came home with flowers saying ‘Happy Anniversary’ that the lady got red and flustered and started sputtering and dashing to the calendar  “well, it can’t be!” and she had the strangest look on her face.  The ambassador did not let her off the hook  “Yep, it is - NINE years”.   “Yikes!” thought Buck “She forgot after nine years… uh oh” .

There was a lot more sputtering and then ‘ Ohhhh… “ her voice trailed off and she realized she blew it and everyone knew.    She took the flowers and kissed the ambassador gently to let him know that the event when they met has not diminished in importance for her.   In fact Buck knew that the lady could not imagine her life without the ambassador,  she was just losing her marbles and Buck fully expected a house full of lemons in no time. 

 In the future Buck decided,  he would help her by remembering anniversaries for her and he would do it like this…

First thing in the morning on the day of the anniversary,  since the lady always got up first and then she’d remember.   Problem solved !