The older I get, the more everything reminds me that I’m getting old.

May is a month of growth. Always has been, right?

“April showers bring May flowers.”

April showers also bring us some delicious fruits and veggies, like strawberries, pineapples, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. The bountiful spring harvest is probably why May was named after the Roman earth goddess Maia. The fifth month of the year provides us with some healthy foods (if you’re into stuff that grows out of the ground), but the plants aren’t the only growth that occurs.

COMMENCEMENT

The month kicks off with the commencement ceremony for the seniors at the school I work at. The president of the school is adamant about referring to this event as a “commencement” because, unlike a “graduation”, a commencement is the beginning of something, and these seniors are beginning the next phase of their lives.

I enjoy the spirited energy of hope that charges high school and college graduations. For most of the graduates, life has not crushed them. Not yet, and hopefully not ever.

PROMOTION

That’s the scary part. Life can be crushing at times. It’s guaranteed to get you when you least expect it. If you’re lucky, only once or twice.

Our daughter got promoted from elementary school into middle school yesterday, and I’m hoping that the changing bodies and limited emotional quotients of the middle schoolers around her doesn’t suck her into a black hole of angst. She’s a sweetheart and middle school can be a nasty place.  

I’ve been reminding her that the value of “being cool” over your lifetime depreciates immediately after people leave high school. It doesn’t matter.

“Thanks, geezer.” She doesn’t say that to me, but her expression does enough to let me know it’s what she’s thinking.

SALUTE THE FALLEN
Memorial Day is a day for us to remember the military personnel who gave their lives in service of their country. Four years ago, my friend, 1LT Luke Adams, died suddenly on May 31. It was the Sunday after Memorial Day that year, but the timing of his passing means that this holiday reminds me of my buddy.

Time moves on, and all we have of the deceased are the memories we made with them when they were with us in this world. Those eventually fade away, too. As long as I’m alive and healthy, I won’t forget Luke. I thought of him a lot at my daughter’s promotion. He didn’t get to see his daughter or son pass those milestones. Doesn’t seem fair, but fair doesn’t factor into it.

We move on ahead to the halfway point in 2024. Things are certainly going to get more bizarre.