Dee-Mystify Health Care Education: The Glass is Half Full in Punxsutawney, PA

Yes, it is Groundhog Day again. It is my favorite day of the year, as my friends and I make our annual trek to Gobblers Knob.

In 2013, in this very blog, I wrote about the movie Groundhog Day and its quirky realization that sometimes we get stuck in place.

But, while I love the movie, of course, the actual realization is in the celebration that takes place in Punxsutawney, PA on February 2 every year. This year, February 2, 2014 will be my 39^th trek to Gobblers Knob, and, to me, the true message that is clearly shown in this small town in western PA on 2/2 every year is: “The Glass is Half Full.”

The first official Groundhog Day was celebrated on February 2, 1886 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow." The legendary first Groundhog Day trip to Gobbler's Knob was made the following year by a group of spirited groundhog hunters who dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club." Clymer, a member of the club, used his editorial clout to proclaim that Phil, the Punxsutawney Groundhog, was the one and only official weather prognosticating groundhog.

The groundhog idea and editorials gained momentum and newspapers across the country picked up the story… then TV… then the 1993 movie. Today, Groundhog Day is a national event.

But the event is not nearly as impactful and inspirational as the amazing little town of Punxsutawney is itself. The citizens of Punxsutawney make every visitor welcome. We wear groundhog hats, and groundhog gloves. We buy our friends and relatives’ groundhog salt and pepper shakers, groundhog cookie cutters, and groundhog mugs. Mahoning Street (the main drag) is alive with people from …yes… all over the world. Trekkers are full of smiles, handshakes, comradery, and laughter. My friends and I spend hours on the streets meeting people, touring the Weather Discovery Center Museum, the Historical & Genealogical Society, the Chamber of Commerce, and visiting the creative, visitor-friendly shops. OH, and did I mention… enjoying the cool crisp air! It is always cold…. Always! After all… IT IS February in western Pennsylvania. It is this continuous glass half full mood, that clear realization that Spring will come that is the true crux of Groundhog Day.

While Phil is the charismatic national mascot for weather prognostication, it is Punxsutawney itself that is the star. Winter is a long season for many people. Why not find a way to have a great deal of fun for at least one day? Why not wrap some history with a prognosticating critter and make a phenomenon?

Now, I am not a glass half full (optimist) or a glass half empty (pessimist) kind of person. I am a “that glass has 8 ounces of fluid in it (realist) person. I see it as it is. Groundhog Day is a celebration by a wonderful town that had an idea that has created a sensation.

Lesson learned – it just takes an idea and a glass half full attitude! Happy Groundhog Day!

Here are some pics from past Groundhog Days! Enjoy!