MDBCs 06 Apr 2023

April 6 is Sorry Charlie Day, a day to recognize that everyone gets rejected sometimes in his or her life. The name of the holiday comes from the phrase Sorry Charlie, popular in the United States.

According to some, the phrase comes from a Starkist Tuna commercial in the 1970s.

Tasty Tuna

In the commercial, the main character, Charlie the Tuna, believes he has good taste and wants to be caught by the Tuna company. The company, however, rejects Charlie by attaching a note to a fish hook that says “Sorry Charlie.” The reason Charlie is rejected by the tuna company is because the company prefers to catch a tuna that tastes good, and not a tuna that has good taste.

Rejection Phrase

The phrase is now is commonly used as a response to someone who has experienced a rejection. It can be sometimes be seen as an uncaring response.

How to Celebrate?

Think back on all the rejections in your life – academic, professional and personal – and spend the day reflecting on what you learned from each of them.
Treat yourself because you didn’t let any rejections let you down.

Did You Know...

...that some schools of tuna fish swim alongside dolphins as a way to protect themselves from sharks and other predatory sea life?

***

The college football player knew his way around the locker room better than he did the library. So when my husband's co-worker saw the gridiron star roaming the stacks looking confused, she asked how she could help. "I have to read a play by Shakespeare," he said.

"Which one?" she asked.

He scanned the shelves and answered, "William."

***

Giving a sermon one Sunday, I heard two teenage girls in the back giggling and disturbing people. I interrupted my sermon and announced sternly, "There are two of you here who have not heard a word I've said." That quieted them down.

When the service was over, I went to greet people at the front door. Three adults apologized for going to sleep in church, promising it would never happen again.

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We live less than a quarter-mile from the high school, but my son proudly drove there in a car he bought with his own money. A typical first car, it had lots of little problems and was sometimes slow to start.

One morning I was surprised to see it still in front of the house, so after school I asked him about it. "I had to get to school early," he said, "so I just ran."

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During an attack of laryngitis I lost my voice completely for two days. To help me communicate with him, my husband devised a system of taps.

One tap meant "Give me a kiss." Two taps meant "No." Three taps meant "Yes"—and 95 taps meant "Take out the garbage."