A little May Day

When I was a boy, I hadn't a clue about Beltane or Worker's Day or St. Joseph's Day. This day of the calendar was just May Day. It didn't involve sending greeting cards, purchasing the same candy in yet another shape and color, putting up and taking down decorations, or orchestrating a holiday meal. The first day of May was, to me, a simple little affair.

May baskets were fun. I distantly remember weaving mine from strips of construction paper and filling them with picked bunches of wild purple violets. These days I might include a packet of flower seed, a small pot of live herbs, an origami animal, or other such bits of creativity and life.

People really ought to celebrate more, by which I do not mean buying more stuff or taking more days off from work. Personal celebrations don't have to cost money or occupy much time. Walk in a park. Eat dessert first. Wear favorite clothes. Send a quirky note. Change the graphic on your computer desktop! So I believe, at any rate.

Happy Occasion-of-your-choice Day!

Tags: May Day, May basket, celebration