Do you remember when May Day was celebrated by delivering little bouquets of fresh cut flowers to your neighbors? No? Well, I’ve definitely dated myself, haven’t I? Ah well. I feel young!
When I really was young (obviously centuries ago), my Mom would help me cut fresh flowers from our yard and tie a ribbon around the stalks of several small bouquets. The fun part was leaving the bouquets on our neighbor’s front porches, ringing the doorbell, and running as fast as we could so they wouldn’t know who the flowers were from.
It was a “high” for us. A moment when our hearts beat faster than normal and we experienced a pleasurable euphoria from the simple efforts of leaving a surprise, giving service, showing kindness, and dashing down the street in our Keds at top speed. If only the “highs” our youth want today were as simple and healthy and kind.
Today the pull of peer pressure, the stress of competition, the absence of parental guidance, the loss of faith in God, and the incessant pushing of drug dealers lure our youth to “highs” of a much more dangerous nature – the “highs” of drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, gambling and other addictions.
If I could put a flower in place of a needle, or tuck a bouquet into the tab of a beer can, and then run away as fast as I could so no one would know who tried to help and be kind, I would. It’s never about the accolades and praise. It’s about helping someone change their life for the better.
Children grow up too fast these days. Let’s go back to May Day’s like I experienced.
Thank you Mom. I miss you.