Day 144: 5/25/11 Celebrating Towel Day in Honor of Douglas Adams

Day 144: 5/25/11
New Thing: Celebrating Towel Day in Honor of Douglas Adams
Inspiration: Douglas Adams
Cost: $0
Time: All day.                
Bottom Line: It is important to always know where one's towel is.

Reflection: Today is Towel Day, an annual celebration on the 25th of May, which stands as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On this day, fans around the universe proudly carry a towel in his honor. Adams is, of course, best known for his fantastic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which, if you haven't read it, I highly commended it to you. Make sure this one gets on to your summer reading list. Along with being a fun read, it also will tell you "Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything," which (spoiler alert) is 42. 

One of the most important thing that an intergalactic hitchhiker can do, according to the book, is to always carry a towel with them. In the book, this is more then just a practical tip, but more of a way of life. Thus, "knowing where one's towel is" speaks to the hitchhiker's state of readiness and preparedness in the face of the unknown.  About this phrase, wikipedia writes:

Somebody who can stay in control of virtually any situation is somebody who is said to know where his or her towel is. The logic behind this statement is presented in chapter 3 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy thus:

“

... a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: nonhitchhiker) discovers that a hitchhiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

”

Douglas Adams got the idea for this phrase when he went on holiday and found that his beach towel kept disappearing. Thus, on Towel Day, fans commemorate Douglas Adams by carrying towels with them.

I have to admit that I did feel very prepared with my towel all day. I tried to think of as many uses as I could for it--seat cushion, napkin, shawl, flag, and of course, towel. And I was able to remain calm and not panic all day. Perhaps it was due to the towel. Who can say? For now, I will simply end with the predictable "so long, and thanks for all the fish!"