Psychologists have been doing this for a few years now… taking a bunch of information and designating a particular day in January as the saddest day of the year. They calculate it based on the time it takes to break new year’s resolutions; the moment when holiday debt rears its ugly head; the perfect storm of cold, dark and wet days; and mix that with the hardest day of the week – a Monday.

This year that day, also called Blue Monday, falls on January 19th. I’m sorry but I just can’t agree, this is not the saddest day of 2009. First of all it is a holiday and not just any holiday but one to remember Martin Luther King Jr. and how he transformed our country. It’s also the last full day that George W Bush will be in office… clearly not a sad day. It’s also the day before Barack Obama will be sworn in as our first black president. The day before a man, who wields inspiration like this country has not seen since John F. Kennedy, will begin steering a nation thirsting for and in desperate need of real leadership. To top that off the sun is shining in Portland today – an extremely rare occurrence in the winter.

No, I just can not agree that this is the saddest day of the year.