Dimon Kendrick-Holmes: Today is very, very important

Today I bring you a public service announcement.

I used to watch those a lot on Armed Forces Television when I was stationed in Germany in the 1990s. Because all the TV programs were donated for the viewing pleasure of soldiers, during commercial breaks the actual advertisements were replaced with public service announcements.

During Super Bowl timeouts, for example, I didn't get to see Michael Jordan and Larry Bird trade trick shots competing for a Big Mac or a man inhale a canary while he was trying to button a pair of jeans that weren't Lee Relaxed Fit jeans.

Instead, we military viewers were reminded of things. We were reminded that European trains were silent and deadly. We were reminded to eat a snack before we went grocery shopping so we wouldn't impulsively buy too many bags of potato chips. And we were reminded that America is divided into 50 states and that people go barefoot and play the banjo in Tennessee.

I'm not kidding.

That's what public service announcements do: They remind you of things.

They're not funny. They're not clever. They're literal, and they remind you of things.

That's it.

So today, I'm going to be literal and remind of something: It's Feb. 28.

Tomorrow it will be March.

Tomorrow your lawn instantly will turn green and grow a foot.

Next week, in March, temperatures are expected to rise into the 70s and area Little Leagues will throw out the first pitch, and next weekend we'll spring forward for Daylight Savings Time.

Then college kids will go on spring break and high schools kids will start going to prom.There will be St. Patrick's Day, when Muscogee County residents vote yes or no for another SPLOST, followed by March Madness and the official first day of spring and Thunder in the Valley, then spring break and Easter.

And that doesn't include all the stuff on your own work and family calendars.

Things are about to get busy around here.

But not today. Today it's still February. You don't need to work in the yard. You just need to relax.

That could mean staying indoors and watching the entire new season of "House of Cards." (This time last year, I watched the first two seasons of Kevin Spacey climbing the political ladder. It was enjoyable, addictive and in no way self-improving.)

Probably the best movie I've seen this year was "Ida," a Polish film that recently won Best Foreign Language Picture. I'd recommend that, if for no other reason that it's filmed in black and white.

Kind of like the month of February, which ends today, if you haven't heard. And that's your public service announcement.

You're welcome.

Dimon Kendrick-Holmes, executive editor, dkholmes@ledger-enquirer.com.

This story was originally published February 27, 2015 at 9:41 PM with the headline "Dimon Kendrick-Holmes: Today is very, very important."