Pat Taub
May Day, 2020
May Day is traditionally the holiday for Beltane, which celebrates earth’s fertility as trees and plants awaken from their winter slumber while farmers and gardeners plant new seedlings. Numerous rituals honor the Divine Mother with outdoor dances and prayers—although sadly this year most Beltane rituals will be online or limited to solo practices.
A May Day Celebration honoring the Divine Mother
May Day is also International Workers Day. In keeping with this aspect of May Day, this year’s May Day will see massive labor strikes across the country with a focus on unsafe worker’s conditions during COVID-19. Workers from Amazon, Target, Whole Foods and others are expected to protest by walking off the job.
Workers in Pittsburgh striking today, May 1, 2020
An Unexpected Positive from Isolation
I’ve had meaningful phone calls with family members but miss their physical presence. A sister-in-law is finding the prospect of moving into assisted living difficult. I wish I could visit her and help with her move. I long to hug my grandkids, to accompany them to their favorite hole-in-the-wall breakfast place, and to sit with friends struggling with their hibernation. My time apart from family and friends has deepened my love for them—an unexpected hibernation positive.
Tara Reade
I‘m spitting nickels over the Democrats’ unwillingness to take seriously Tara Reade’s accusation of sexual assault by Joe Biden when she was an intern in his office. I thought she was very credible during her interview on Democracy Now. The Democrats gave their full support to Christine Blasey Ford when she accused Kavanaugh of sexual abuse but fail to give Reade the same consideration. The evidence against Biden in the Reade case is building day by day. I salute women who come forth against very powerful men because the decks are almost always stacked against them.
Tara Reade during her recent interview on Democracy Now
Humor as a Coping Mechanism
I recognize that we’re living in a very serious time, but I can’t let go of one of my favorite coping mechanisms: humor. Being able to laugh and being silly can shake a dark mood. When this happens I re-read favorite humorists like Dorothy Parker and Thurber and watch Randy Rainbow clips and funny Netflix series like “After Life” with Ricky Gervais.
