A hopeful heart
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Hello friends, Happy May! May Day was on Friday. I love this holiday, because it rejoices in two things close to my heart: May Day celebrates the burgeoning growth of spring and sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere. People dance around poles with bright ribbons, and leap fires, and share food, laughter, and song. May Day also honors the Haymarket activists and martyrs who fought for worker’s rights, fair pay, and that little thing we call the weekend. May Day honors the human labor that grows food, builds bridges, cleans streets, cares for children and elders, and all the activities that keep us strong and whole as a society. For me, May Day is both a celebration and connection. This day celebrates life and possibility, and recognizes that we cannot do this without each other. Our health and well being require the trees, flowers, birds, animals, and bees. Our health and well being also requires the good will and work of other humans. For me, the start of May is a festival of hope. And right now, my heart needs that hope. This year, I did not do any of my traditional May Day activities: I didn’t dance around a be-ribboned pole or leap the fire with my pagan friends. I didn’t march in the streets with my anarchist, socialist, or labor friends. Instead—simply because of a choice of timing—I spent it in a different act of hope: I helped two young people who are searching for a new place to live. That was an act of hope. Together, we said: “You deserve a safe, cozy place to live. You deserve warmth, and a small garden. You deserve to build a good life.” Everyone deserves to build a good life, and working toward that spits in the eye of those who would undermine that. So, this May, I choose to listen to my hopeful heart. I hope you do, too. Best wishes — Thorn
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T. Thorn Coyle
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