There have been a few “special days” this past week; International Darwin Day was celebrated on February 12th, my brother Jarvis’s birthday on the 13th, Valentine’s Day the 14th, and President’s Day on the 15th. All worthy days of recognition and celebration to various degrees, for various people, for various reasons.

International Darwin Day implores us to celebrate “intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, and hunger for truth”. No matter your understanding or stance on evolution those three tenants could easily be a means to increase the joy and fulfillment in most any facet of our lives. Living an unexamined and unexplored life in opposition of these suggestions is another option I suppose. As my high school shop and history teacher, the Reverend Leonard Savelkoul, who passed away on February 6th, 2002, used to say, “Ignorance is bliss.”

He was not an ignorant man, and always uttered this saying in a heavily sarcastic and exhausted tone when a student didn’t see the necessity of learning the knowledge Mr. Savelkoul was attempting to impart on our teenage minds. I admit that I would not be nearly as troubled if I chose to remain ignorant of some of the goings on in this world, but if we know we just might be able to help, and helping others is a blissful enterprise as well. Unless you’re trying to help middle schoolers. I substitute taught for those hormone riddled monsters once, and experienced no bliss whatsoever.

As easy and comfortable as ignorance may be, I encourage you to give the Darwin Day suggestions a whirl, and see how you evolve. I have a feeling the changes you incur will outlast any changes the box of chocolates, negligee, and roses from Valentine’s Day brought about. I have nothing against negligee, it’s a bit drafty and lace chafes something terrible, but it gets you plenty of personal space in the changing room at the YMCA and might get you out of chaperoning your kid’s school field trips.

Although, curiously venturing into a Victoria Secret to buy negligee for your wife on Valentine’s Day is brave, it is far from intellectual, and might reveal a truth your wife would rather not reveal. So I would caution applying the Darwin Day suggestions to that area of your life. Besides, it will just end up wadded up in that dresser drawer that houses all the other Valentine’s purchases you’ve made in the name of love over the years. The Victoria Secret drawer, a drawer of blissful ignorance.

Thankfully my wife is not a big Valentine’s Day aficionado, so I don’t have any expectations of glitz and grandeur to try and unsuccessfully live up to. Husband’s don’t need a special day set aside to unsuccessfully live up to expectations our wives have for us. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s not that we don’t love you, we’re just ignorant. Blissfully so. Besides, women live longer, you have plenty of time to mount a search for a less ignorant, more evolved substitute. Good luck.