Dear Just Be: Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the United States?

In the states we celebrate the holiday for much different reasons than they do in Ireland. Let me explain.

The story of St. Patrick begins in AD 387. St. Patrick was born into a wealthy family in Roman Britain. His father and grandfather were deacons in the Church, and at the time St. Patrick is said to have not lived up to his father and grandfathers teachings. When he was 16 years old he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. During his time in Ireland St Patrick became extremely religious and confessed that he was told by God to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. He did just that, and ultimately became a priest when he returned to England.

He again says that he was called by God to return to Ireland, though as a bishop, to save the Irish. Through his journey he introduced and explained the concept of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish people by using the Shamrock with its three leaves as symbols. He also included the pagan beliefs of the day into his Christian teachings. Because he was not Irish, he faced extreme opposition from his co-religionists. After nearly thirty years of teaching and spreading God's word he died on March 17, 461 AD, and was buried at Downpatrick.

Many historians say St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland before the 1600s. St Patrick's feast day was placed on the universal Christian calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding. As a result, St Patrick's Day became a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints' feasts during certain solemnities (Holy Week), moving the saint's day to a time outside those periods. St Patrick's Day is very occasionally affected by this requirement – when March 17 falls during Holy Week. Unique fact: St Patrick's Day will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160.

In 1903, St Patrick's Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. Today, in Ireland, the celebrations still have a religious tone to them. However, many Christian leaders condemn the fact that it is being increasingly secularized and commercialized – such as what you will find in the states, Great Britain, Canada, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. In the states and other countries St. Patrick’s Day is not viewed as an official holiday, but many participate in the day’s activities to celebrate and recognize the Irish culture, not the religious significance of the day and person.

Dear Just Be: I have so much to do it seems that sleep is not a productive use of my time. Is sleep that important?

Sleep is incredibly important for you. It is essential! Sleep makes up one of the three key factors for a healthy lifestyle: 1.) diet, 2.) exercise, 3.) sleep. Sleep promotes learning and memory and it is also when your body grows and repairs any damages.

I am sure with the recent time adjustment you have noticed a change in your energy level, decision making ability, reaction time and this is due to the loss of sleep. Fortunately, it should only take a day or two for you to adjust to the time shift. Researchers have studied the affects of lack of sleep and people’s performance is the same if not worse as when they are intoxicated. Lack of sleep is also associated with a number of health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

Sleep is a necessity but it is also crucial for you to get adequate sleep. Adequate sleep is getting the right number of hours for you. On average people need 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep, but truly the number of hours a person needs to wake feeling reenergized and ready to function depends on the individual. Your body likes and functions best with regularity, so maintain a stable sleep schedule which means going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on the weekends. Furthermore, create an optimal sleep environment. Make sure the room is dark, the temperature is not too hot or cold and more importantly, you aren’t doing other things while in your in the bedroom, such as watching TV.

So bottom line, sleep is important!

For more information on the importance of sleep visit:
Six Reasons Not to Scrimp on Sleep
The Importance of Sleep for your Health

Dear Just Be: Time just keeps flying by...what happens if I turn in my taxes late?

Readers consider this a friendly reminder....your taxes are due in just 1 month! If you haven't started on them yet, you may consider doing so in the next few days. Pull your paperwork together, get organized, and set aside dedicated time and space to work on your tax returns. Accountants, bookkeepers and CPA's are working long hours already on preparing their client's returns. So get cranking!

If you file your taxes late, and you owe money, the IRS will levy a late filing penalty on you - which is 5% of the taxes you owe the first month. The IRS will continue to charge you 5% on your unpaid taxes, every month thereafter, not exceeding 25 percent of your total taxes owed. If you can prove a reasonable delay that is preventing you from filing, such as you have not received wage and tax information from your employer, then the IRS will not penalize you.

Other things to consider if you don't pay your taxes on time is that the IRS can charge you interest on the penalties and they can file criminal charges against you.

So don't delay - start working on filing your taxes soon!