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    Feb. 22: Inconvenience Yourself Day, Ash Wednesday, Florida Acquired by U.S. Anniversary, Cook a Sweet Potato Day

    By Pam Gaulin | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Feb 21, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    Inconvenience Yourself Day

    Julie Thompson encourages you to "enrich your own life as you focus on ways to show respect to others, the environment, and the world you live in" while considering how your daily actions affect others. The holiday is celebrated annually on the fourth Wednesday of February, although Inconvenience Yourself website lists both Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 as days of observance.

    How to celebrate, from Inconvenience Yourself:

    * Smile, use common courtesy and do the right thing.

    * Lead by example by helping others, volunteering, or recycling

    * Make someone laugh or encourage others.

    Ash Wednesday

    Wipe the remains of Shrove Tuesday out of your eyes and prepare for Ash Wednesday, if you celebrate Lent. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 40-day observance of fasting and penitence for Christians. It's customary for people to give up activities or foods during Lent. Consider taking a 40-day break from Facebook, mindless TV or chocolate. Good luck.

    On Ash Wednesday practicing Christians attend a church service and walk out with a small mark of ash on the forehead. "Ashes are blessed during Mass, after the homily. The blessed ashes are then 'imposed' on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality," according to Catholic Culture.

    Florida Acquired by U.S. Anniversary

    With one signature by John Quincy Adams, Florida became part of the U.S. On Feb. 22, 1819, Adams singed the Florida Purchase Treaty with Spain. In return, "Spain received no compensation, but the United States agreed to assume liability for $5 million in damage done by American citizens who had rebelled against Spain," according to the treaty, also called the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819.

    Cook a Sweet Potato Day

    Bake it in the oven, pop one in the microwave or boil and mash it. No matter how you decide to soften and cook the orange potato, it will be delicious. Sweet potatoes have been enjoyed since 2000 B.C. in Peru although "domestication may have occurred as early as 8000 B.C.E.," according to "The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink." They are coveted for their fiber, high levels of vitamins C and E, folic acid and their sweetness. Enjoy sweet potatoes in a casserole or cheesecake.

     

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