We are as guilty of fixating on the weather as the next person and are reminded of Mark Twain’s words: “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” We find ourselves talking lately about how it seems that we did not have much of a winter. We did not experience a staggering blizzard that forced multiple days of involuntary hibernation and binge watching our favorite Netflix shows.
Earlier this week when we mentioned this to a friend, she told us, “Beware the Ides of March.” She made it sound so ominous. We knew the reference but where was it from exactly? There was hazy recognition from a bygone English literature class that this was a Shakespearean quotation, but we could not fully place it. So we looked it up.
The actual quote is from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar. The warning, uttered by a soothsayer, is to let Julius Caesar know his life would be in danger on March 15, which in those days was the deadline for settling all debts. On that day in 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated, brutally stabbed 23 times by a mob of senators including his alleged friends, Cassius and Brutus.
We feel the Internal Revenue Service missed a golden marketing opportunity when it chose April 15 as the official Tax Day instead of March 15th. We envision a television commercial for the IRS in which Julius Caesar, dressed in his toga and fending off his attackers, turns to the camera and says, “Don’t let this happen to you! Beware the Ides of March and pay your taxes!” Before he expires, he turns to his friend and says, “Et tu, Brute?” Brutus responds, “Not me, my taxes and my debts are all paid!”
Tongue in cheek we admit, but there are good things in store for us this month. Yes, there are still wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; and, yes, we have now entered into the presidential election season which will surely stress many out. But the 31st is Easter and this coming Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day and everyone is a little bit Irish that day.
This year we are going to make time to spend together as a family watching John Wayne’s quintessential Irish movie The Quiet Man and enjoying the Greenwich annual parade. On Sunday, the Greenwich Hibernian Association is hosting their annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It begins at 2:00pm at the Greenwich Town Hall and is a fun family event. The weather looks to be ok and it is only a 23 minute drive from downtown New Canaan.
This year, perhaps, it is not the weather or imposing tax deadlines that best represent the Ides of March. Maybe this year it is what is happening to our state and in Hartford that should cause us to keep a wary eye. There are many pieces of proposed legislation that we must determine if they are good for our town or will they negatively impact us.
Our own delegation to Hartford, which includes Democrats and Republicans, have offered a number of bills as well. All proposed legislation deserves to be heard and discussed openly in a public forum. Often, it is easy to criticize or disagree with an idea. It is harder to do so while offering a solution that both sides can then discuss. We hope that criticism without solution falls by the wayside and all parties can discuss the issues facing our state and work together to find common ground.
Regardless, we hope today the “Ides of March” treat you better than they did Julius Caesar. Nobody deserves to be set upon by a mob of Senators, especially if they are led by friends! And enjoy the early spring-like weather coming our way.
