Here's to May and all the new growth it has to offer! Now do this quick read and get out there. There's something coming up for you. I promise.
Boom! Crash! Boom! Crackle! Today we are in the middle of a delightful May thunderstorm. It started in the middle of the night and has continued into an electrifying day. I love the noise. I love the rumbling and the rattling in my comfortable home. And admittedly, I love the adrenaline rush I get each time there's a close hit. One minute I think it's all over as the sky brightens some and then the next minute it's as dark as a full-moon night. The creek is swelling and I am grateful.
And aside from the rumbling and clattering of days like today, May has a soft side too. The Lilacs and the Lilies Of The Valley are just about to bloom. Soon their sweet smell will be wafting through the air wherever we go. Until that happens, I'm delighted with the aroma of the Trailing Arbutus, or what Mom called May Flowers because of their appearance by May 1. In the wee hours of each May Day morning, before the neighborhood woke, she would leave baskets of May Flowers on porches; this, some ancient tradition left from the pagan celebrations of May 1st I'm sure. Now, the Trailing Arbutus are blooming in the woods around my home. On damp warm days like today, they fill the woods with their scent. And the wild leeks. Oh, my. This time of year I travel with a small trowel, gathering new, fresh leeks as I go. I don't need to look too closely. Their aroma leads me to their hiding spot.
And this note can only be complete with a discussion of the tastes of May. The leeks of course go into everything. Scrambled eggs with leeks, potato and leek soup and potato-leek pie are three of my favorites. They are especially good with the wild asparagus I find volunteering itself to be picked in open fields where once an old farm garden stood. I'll see and eat fiddlehead ferns before this month is over. Their delicate taste goes well with just about any dish that needs a side serving. And my May flavor favorite, the morel mushroom. The temporary warm temperatures in April confused this delicate fungus. But I've managed to pick a few pounds and make some mouthwatering treats. Their flavor is so distinct and full that I prefer them on the side or on the top of some of my favorite dishes. I just can't bear disguising the flavor of this granddaddy of all May edibles. Oh, and did I mention fresh spring Walleye? My first May fish fry will complete the grazing opportunities this month has to offer.
Okay, got to go. I'm drooling. I hope your May is just a little Lusty too.
The Lusty Month of May Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May! That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray Tra la! It's here! That shocking time of year When tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear
It's May! It's May! That gorgeous holiday When every maiden wishes her lad would be a cadIt's mad!
It's gay! A libelous display Those dreary vows that everyone takes, everyone breaks, Everyone makes divine mistakes, the lusty month of May!
Whence this fragrance wafting through the air? What sweet feelings does its scent transmute? Whence this perfume floating everywhere? Don't you know it's that dear forbidden fruit? Tra la la la la! That dear forbidden fruit!
Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May! That darling month when everyone throws self-control away It's time to do a wretched thing or two And try to make each precious day one you'll always rue!
It's May! It's May! The month of "yes you may," The time for every frivolous whim, proper or im-
It's wild! It's gay! A blot in every way The birds and bees with all of their vast Amorous past gaze at the human race aghast! The lusty month of May!
The Light is Back! We have more daylight. But that's not all. It's a different light of brightness, crispness and tinges of color. There is a warmth to the light I have not seen in awhile. No longer the dull light of winter, this the new light of March triggers a change in my perspective. As I notice the spaces in my home dramatically altered by the way the light inhabits them, I too change in response to the way it inhabits me.
With the brightness, my eyes wander from one new perspective to the next. Gone is the desire to hunker down with a good book as a way to change my perspective. I get edgy to do something and I no longer can much tolerate a passive pastime like reading. I must get out and move in this light. It has so much to give me.
Albert Einstein's Birthday was this month. He would have been 133 years old. So in the spirit of Feelin' Groovy, here are some quotes from a man who got it!
Imagination: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Reality: "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
Intuition: "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
Education: "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
Peace: "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
Problems: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
Curiosity: "The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
Truth and Knowledge: "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
Death: "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there is no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
Mystery: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom his emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: His eyes are closed."
The Waters of March. This one always makes me skip and dance lightly. The Waters of March written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and performed by Susannah McCorkle
Now go with the flow and I'll see you on the flip side of Spring.
Relax. No resolution suggestions will be shared here. I am a Resolution Free Zone. I just don’t make them. And I've come to accept that I cannot convert everyone to my way of thinking. Make your New Year resolutions. And have fun.
And if you still have some inspiration left over from the new leaf we all turned when January 1 came around the bend, here are some ideas that are not really resolutions at all. Take only one, or one a day, or one a week, or one a month, or create your own. It’s your choice. The question is:
What can I do or who can I become, this year, that will help make this the best of all possible worlds?
101 Suggestions:
Be happy
Love openly
Plant something
Meditate
Talk about the things you love
Pass on conversations about the things you dislike
"I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." ~Abraham Lincoln
"If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can make the world safe for diversity." ~John F. Kennedy
"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." ~Albert Einstein
The List Coaching If you find value in this list and would like to experience some group coaching around this list and additional items we come up with as a group, zip me an email or give me a call at 231-879-4178.
I would be happy to provide 9 sessions (55 minutes each) of group coaching via teleconference for only $150 per person. Calls will be recorded should you miss one.
We will explore in depth many of the items on this list, create some of our own, and support every person in the group to create their personalized list and focus for 2012. If 2012 is the year you want to help make this the best of all possible worlds, consider joining us.
I need a minimum of 5 participants and a maximum of 15. Days and times will be determined once we have our group.
At the top of my love list of all things Fall are warm campfires, an illuminating centerpiece for all my backyard gatherings. At the end of a cold and damp day, whether cutting firewood or playing with my hunting and fishing friends, I gravitate to the fire with the enthusiasm of old dog in need of comforting warmth. No amount of clothing, no matter how adequate and appropriate for this season, can compete with the radiating heat of my campfire. On crisp evenings, I hold my feet in front of the flames, the warmth spreading up to my glowing face. Once my jaw is adequately lubricated by an appropriate amount of both drink and campfire heat, I find my words coming effortlessly, maybe too much so. So, I rotate and turn my back to the fire, enjoying the inhale of brisk air and the immediate silence that comes with facing the darkness and a brilliantly star-lit sky.
For me, campfires are:
Peace: As I start to warm from the outside in, I feel a sense of peace. I slow down. I breathe deeply. My campfire is a place to just be.
Great Conversations: When I have the pleasure of sharing a warm campfire with friends, and sometimes even strangers, the conversations always seem a little more provocative, open, entertaining and free.
Stories: Oh, yes, the conversations are wonderful. And the stories we tell around a campfire are even better. Even the weakest storyteller among us is able to weave a tale worthy of attention while the heat glows on his or her face and only the little ring of fire keeps the dark and the cold at bay.
Reflection: As the firelight and heat reflect off everything in the presence of a campfire, one warms to the opportunity to go inward and reflect about those things most important to us as well as the little things that seemed trivial minutia during the day.
Food: Campfires mean the concoctions never end. Eating begins as soon as the fire is started and can last well into the night. Everything has its own cooking time and while some dishes need a quick hot flame, others do better buried deep in hot coals. This time of year it's spice cider, baked potatoes, wild game, mulled wine, warm garlic bread, a big pot of chili or stew or chowder, spoon bread, bread pudding... no hurry, we have more than 14 hours of darkness this time of year and it's increasing every minute.
Morning Coffee: If I've banked my campfire just right, I've got good hot coals with which to enjoy my morning coffee.
Come on over any time. I'd love to share a fire and hear about what keeps you warm. Bring your flashlight.
"To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world" ~Charles Dudley Warner
"The most tangible of all visible mysteries - Fire." ~Leigh Hunt
"One can enjoy a wood fire worthily only when he warms this thoughts by it as well as his hands and feet." ~Odell Shepard
"Fire is the most tolerable third party." ~Henry David Thoreau
Albert Einstein's Birthday
