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June 28th Holiday

HANDSHAKE DAY

The handshake is almost an art of sorts.

In different countries it is done differently and each variation means something specific. Here in the U.S., I read that a firm handshake is preferred. Have you ever shook someone’s hand and you felt like they were trying to crush yours in the process? Yes, that is what we call TOO firm. In other cultures, such as Turkey and China, handshakes are preferred to be weaker and a firm handshake is often seen as rude. All these different customs and rules make for some confusion. Today’s holiday, for me, is a reminder that the ‘American’ way of doing things is not always the right way. The handshake can be dated back all the way to the 5th century BC. It is widely believed that it started as a gesture of peace and to show that you were not carrying any weapons. Today, the handshake is “commonly done upon meeting, greeting, parting, offering congratulations, expressing gratitude, or completing an agreement. In sports or other competitive activities, it is also done as a sign of good sportsmanship. Its purpose is to convey trust, balance, and equality.” Thank you Wikipedia for informing me all about handshaking. As luck would have it, I actually did shake a person’s hand today. I began training my temp that will be doing my job while I am out on maternity. I didn’t want to scare him and tell him I needed to take a picture for my crazy blog (I’m sure that would have been a wonderful first impression…). I did have a handshake today though, take my word for it.

Total Cost to Celebrate: $0

Clip of the Day:

Anatomy of a secret handshake:

P.S. – Nerd alert.

P.P.S. – My home laptop has contracted a lovely virus that prevents me from doing anything internet related. I think it knew I was at the very end of my blog experience so it decided to prolong it just a little bit longer. I will have the remaining two June posts, as well as my month wrap-up and OVERALL WRAP-UP (yes, it really has been an entire year already!) posted within the next few days hopefully. Thanks for sticking with me!