Today is May Day. When I was a child, I spent time each May 1 finding flowers in my parent’s yard that I would tie with a pretty ribbon and leave on a neighbor’s doorstep, then ring the bell and run away. I felt happy knowing that I brightened someone’s day. One of the purposes of May Day has been to celebrate a change of season. We recognized the first day of spring in April, but in Ohio our weather doesn’t always reflect that. May 1 usually brings a little more sunshine. As the saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” The trees and bulbs have been beautiful in the last couple of weeks as they have awakened from a long winter. Today, Ohio went from “Stay at Home Ohio” to “Stay Safe Ohio,” starting to stretch forward. Ohio is opening the economy while still using social distance, masks, and learning new ways to taking care of one another. Many people are finding boredom and tedium during this pandemic. Others have found new ways to connect with the people they love and care about. What I have learned is to take each day one at a time. To be patient with ourselves and with others. To not judge other people’s choices and to feel comfortable with our own choices. I am reminded of a wonderful essay by Charles Swindoll, entitled “Attitude.” I am including excerpts from the essay. Let’s make May Day a beginning of the new future ahead for all of us as we continue as unfinished women, stretching forward to embrace life.
“ The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. it is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you … we are in charge of our attitude.”
