'I Forgot Day': July 2nd Is a Day to Remember Birthdays, Anniversaries

July 2, 2009— -- We're surrounded by calendars: on our walls, in our blackberries and on our computers. But even with all of these reminders -- even with the electronic alarms -- we still forget.

Birthdays go unacknowledged, anniversaries pass us by, and some holidays (like Valentine's Day) seem to sneak up, catching us without so much as a box of chocolates. Today, ironically, is another one of those holidays that you'll probably forget: July 2 is "I Forgot Day."

Creator Gaye Anderson, 62, would like to tell you when it all started, but, well … she forgot.

"It probably had to be 10 years ago … it's been well over five," Anderson said. "I just went through a particularly forgetful period -- I had a heavy workload doing student service work, as well as teaching, and things were slipping by -- my daughter's anniversary, my daughter's birthday … my anniversary. Our anniversary was April 26th and I always think 4-24 instead of 4-26."

Soon thereafter, "I Forgot Day" was born. Anderson says it's not just a day for occasions you have already forgotten, it's also helpful for those events you think you might forget in the future.

Most people probably haven't heard of "I Forgot Day," or many of the other holidays mentioned in Chase's Calendar of Events. For example, coming up later this month there's National Ice Cream Day on July 19 -- it's on a Sunday (to promote sundaes). And then there's Rat-Catchers Day on July 22, a day to recognize the folks who catch and exterminate rats.

But "I Forgot Day" is one everyone can relate to.

"My theory is since the population is aging more and more of us are getting forgetful," Anderson said. "Every year I get e-mails from senior citizen homes -- they say they're going to do some events [on 'I Forgot Day']."