RWC tutor Emily Rawlings commemorates National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day.
A man sniffles, gazing down at a white puddle with Captain Crunch islands. Jack spilled his morning meal, splattering its contents across the checkered floor. Overwhelmed with emotion, Jack could not help but let a tear run down his cheek, but then he remembered, “Don’t cry over spilled milk!” Jack’s emotions deserted, his tear was removed along with the milk staining his floor. Although such trivialities, spilled milk, rarely beg for intense emotions, the reminder to keep one’s emotions under control in the face of minor inconveniences garners enough importance to have a day of its own.
February 11th, National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day, is not meant to celebrate crying over spilled milk (although, if I spilled a good bowl of Cookie Crisp cereal drowned in milk, I would be tempted to), but rather, it is meant to celebrate “learning from our mistakes” because “we must also ensure that we don’t spend more time than necessary on regret” (“Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day”). For example, if Jack accidentally spilled milk into his lactose-intolerant friend’s cup of coffee because he was dancing around on the very party-worthy Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day, he would naturally be distraught. However, on February 11th, he can stop regretting this past oopsy-daisy, and he can move on instead of being stuck thinking about how he could have avoided ruining his friend’s cup of coffee.
Besides letting go of regret, I posit that National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day should also celebrate (and validate) crying over “unimportant” things. For instance, if Jack started crying over accidentally adding soy milk instead of real milk to his crème brûlée, he would have every right to do so! Eating a delicacy with an unexpected taste innately summons tears. Even if Jack purposely put soy milk in his dessert for the sake of avoiding dairy or trying something new, crying would still justified because “There are no guidelines for how much crying is too much” (Morris).
In conclusion, February 11th is a silly day that allows us to seriously let go and cry over the small things, like spilling our favorite milky morning meal. So, what are you going to cry about on Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day?
How to Make Milk:
Step 1: Buy it from the store
Step 2: Enjoy!
How to Make Milk (Fancy Edition):
Step 1: Acquire a pregnant cow. You buy one off Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
Step 2: Wait until the cow has a calf.
Step 3: Learn how to milk from a YouTube tutorial.
Step 4: Milk the cow.
Step 5: Boil it (the milk, not the cow), but do not burn it (the milk, NOT the cow).
Step 6: You know have milk, and you can eat your cereal that would taste the same with store-bought milk, but now you have more satisfaction.
Step 7: Enjoy!