Happy May, My Friend!
I’m writing this to you on the first of May—May Day. Did you make a May basket when you were a kid in school with the instruction to hang it on a neighbor’s door? I believe one was to “ding dong and dash” so the neighbor would be surprised by the May basket when they opened the door. (Maybe surprising neighbors isn’t such a good practice anymore, considering the world we live in now.) But back when I was in 1st grade and making a May basket out of a paper doily, there were only thoughts of expectation and excitement about the coming month.
You see, it has always seemed to me that each month has its own personality.
January, February, and March are triplets. They aren’t identical, but they are still quite similar. You do not want to pick a fight with one of this trio on the playground. They will win every time. They are strong. You can be their friend if you don’t complain too much. They work hard but play hard, too. Their personas are just plain easier to take in Florida than their Wisconsin versions.
April is a bit moody. She’s kind of stuck in that pre-teen angst period. Sometimes she’s as happy as anything, and you just love being around her; everything is warm and wonderful. Then, the next minute, she’s mad as a hornet over something, and you better look out, Mister!
May. Ahhh, sweet May. She’s so full of hope she can hardly contain herself. She seems to leave a trail of flowers in her footprints as she glides along. She smells like lilacs. People feel a strange mixture of happiness and melancholy around her. This usually happens mid to late month when school years come to an end, and graduations occur. “They’re happy tears” is something said a lot during May.
June, July, and August. Another set of triplets, but with June and July being more similar. (I’ll get to August in a minute.) June and July are a blast! But just try to get either of them to get any work done! Ain’t gonna happen! They are forever running through the sprinkler, spitting watermelon seeds at each other, and staying up late catching fireflies. August, though, she’s another story. So anxious! It seems she’ll never get used to all the new things coming her way. You’d think she’d be over that by now since it’s 2023, but she’s always wondering, “But what if?”
September is August’s therapist. She’s cool as a cucumber and never seems to get her undies in a bundle. (You can see why she’s so helpful to dear August.) She smells like apples and has a quiet confidence about her. People love hanging out with her but can’t quite explain why.
October, November, and December are the last set of triplets, and WOW, are they big! Collectively known as “The Holidays,” they feel it’s their duty to end each year with a bang! And they never fail to disappoint. Yeah, sometimes they can be a bit much to take, all three in a row like that. Some people love them, and some people can’t wait till they go. They seem to elicit strong feelings one way or the other. December always seems to bring about a lot of soul-searching in her presence. She’s a deep thinker, that one.
I thought maybe as I moved from place to place around the country, my feelings about each month’s personality would change, but not so. I still cringe when August comes about. I want to break out every holiday decoration I own in October and spit watermelon seeds into my backyard in June.
And in May, I always feel hopeful. In the days of growing up in Wisconsin, May meant summer was that much closer and was proven by the intoxicating smell of blooming lilacs. And now, I can already feel graduations in the air. I can feel the parents’ proud tears and feel their hesitancy to let them go in the fall, full of hope for them as they start the next chapter.
I hope that May will be good to you. This May, my oldest granddaughter, Winnie, will be turning 13. 13! Not one to miss momentous occasions, I’ll be going to California next week, so won’t be writing to you. I’ll write again on May 16th.
Happy May! Happy spring! Happy every little thing!
Written with love – – – Patti XOXO
“It is now May. It is the month wherein nature
hath her fill of mirth and the senses are filled with delights.
I conclude it is from the Heavens, a grace,
and to Earth, a gladness.”
Nicholas Breton