Happy May Day, dear friends!

Traditionally, May Day marks the end of the unfarmable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it is a cause for celebration in certain cultures.

A May Day celebration generally involves a Maypole:  a tall wooden pole with a ring attached to which various strings or long scarves are tied.

To participate, all you have to do is grab hold of a scarf and dance away — up, down, and around the pole, as feverishly and as loudly as you wish.  You can sing, dance, and go wild and crazy, but as long as you hold onto the scarf, you are anchored and secured.

It got me to thinking that we all need a Maypole in life.

And that made me realize that I already have several.

Faith is an anchor, a sturdy support or guidepost to clasp, for sure.

So are our parents (for most of us, anyway).

But I’ve been blessed with another Maypole:  Just My Joe.

You’ve seen me write about this man before.  He’s my boyfriend, my significant other, my confidante, my protector, my shrink.

He talks little and thinks lots.  He’s well-educated, intellectual, grounded, reflective and full of integrity.

He’s a man’s man, loving all things “guy” – guns, sports, hunting, power engines, animals, big equipment.

He doesn’t waste words, meaning he doesn’t say much.  So when he does talk, it’s generally worth hearing because it’s either rock-solid common sense or humorous:

• When I took in the scene on his Georgia ranch/farm of a front-end loader, a tractor, three trucks, two cars, and three 4-wheelers, I sighed.  He smiled back and said, “Ahh, come on, Babe, don’t you love a man with a large carbon footprint?”
• When I irrationally bemoaned that I would be homeless if I had to sell my house in the North to pay my bills, the man hugged me and said: “Don’t worry honey, I’ll buy you a shopping cart.”

See what I mean? He makes me laugh.

And, he lets me dance up, down, and around him, as feverishly and as loudly as I wish, just like around the Maypole.  I can sing, dance, go wild and crazy, and as long as I hold onto his strength, I am anchored and secured.

I am creative and carefree and sporadic and crazy, and I take risks.  When I crash into walls and stumble and fall, he yanks on the proverbial scarf and helps me back up.

Thanks Just My Joe, for being my Maypole.

Friends: In celebration of all the Maypoles in your life, Happy May Day!