Today, 13th May, is apparently Frog Jumping Day.

This amused me because I wondered how on earth jumping over frogs/like frogs/being jumped on BY frogs managed to get its own day.

Then I discovered that it’s not actually really anything to do with frogs at all, but a day to celebrate both Mark Twain and his genius and also a day to set something in motion that you’ve always meant to do, and maybe started doing once or twice, but have never managed.

Because that’s what Mark Twain did – his friend asked for a story about frogs. He started writing the story and meant to have it published in his first book or short stories… but then he didn’t quite get far enough through his story (Jim Smiley And His Jumping Frog) in time to get it in that book. So he rewrote it and tried again but again, never made it as far as the frog bit…

The his friend said, ‘Oi! Where’s my frog story?’ and Mark Twain knuckled down, and finally got it written and published.

Mark Twain is awesome – go read something he wrote (or even something he said – he is very quotable).

Also, go pick up that project you’ve started seven times and then put back down, unfinished.

I’m trying to get this blog back off the floor, where I’ve sort of dropped it recently. So I’ve written this post and written a few more to go up over the next few weeks and planned in even more that I need to write.

Alternatively, just go jump round your garden like a frog. That works too!