Jeff Key

A Leap Year—A Leap of Faith

Jeff Key's work can be seen at: www.sculpturesite.com/Exhibit_Detail.cfm?ShowsID=155"

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now".   

                                                                                                                —African Proverb                                                                                                                                               

As the U.S. Primary Elections loom on the horizon, we are presented with a perplexing choice—who will carry the banner for truth, justice and the American way.  To add to our confusion we are faced with a mathematical anomaly that takes place every four years called Leap Year—the year in which presidential elections take place.

 On Feb. 29 celebrated “Leap Day”—an extra day in the month—an extra day in the year. It turns out that the Earth’s journey around the sun isn’t 365 days—it’s really 365.25 days. Every four years that extra time adds up to 24 hours and has to be added to the calendar to catch up with the sun. 

 If we didn’t recognize Leap Year, we might end up with Valentine’s Day in June and Independence Day in December.

What would you do if you knew you had an extra day? Would you muster the courage to take a leap forward or fall back and binge-watch every season of Breaking Bad.

 You could leap forward and restore the planet, or fall back and build more walls and cages….. You could leap forward and restore civil liberties or fall back and succumb to lobbyists promoting easy access to guns……You could leap forward and tell the truth or fall back and just say whatever is necessary to get

ahead……. You could leap forward, embrace your neighbor, and attempt to forge peaceful coalitions or fall back into isolationism and “me first” diplomacy. 

 Enjoy that extra day but don’t waste it. You won’t have another one until February 2024.