May Day

It was another successful May Day in the Berkeland household! Our little flower deliverer
was so excited this year and understood the ding-dong-ditch assignment. Every year, it
warms my heart to deliver our baskets to the people we love most. I put a lot of effort into
personalizing the baskets, and I love creating them with specific people in mind. This year
we did my signature Fyrn flower vases and bouquets, so it was special to be able to
dedicate time to each one. Everyone appeared to have enjoyed them, and we received a lot
of positive feedback.

We started the day as we do every year, handing out our baskets. I am delighted to share
that they have doubled in quantity since we first began, proving that love is multiplied, and
joy is an ever-circulating loop. Scout got so into delivering them, which was so fun. She
carried them to doors and shouted the expected, “HAPPY MAY DAY!” before running like a
mad man back to the car. We were only caught by one sneaky snake- Noah’s best friend,
Andy, who saw us coming in his ring camera. I’d say for 24 baskets, one catch is a pretty
good record! We delivered from Lakeville to Minneapolis this year, with stops in between. I
love to sip my coffee and visit everyone’s neighborhoods, so the drive is actually quite
lovely.

In honor of the general strike taking place this year, we made sure to purchase everything
we needed beforehand, and chose to put our money into local businesses instead of big
box stores. We used chicken and beef from our freezer, and veggies from a local farm. We
purchased our drinks from Viking Liquor and the Lunds and Byerly’s. I purchased a gift card
from Charlie’s on Prior the day before, and we had a lovely lunch after delivering our
baskets. We’ve sort of fallen into the tradition of going to Charlie’s every year. It’s only
about 2 miles from our house, and it’s on the lake, so it just feels like home. Their gouda
hashbrowns are one step short of replacing my husband. We also get our post-delivery
cocktails, which never hurts.

After delivery, we hung around the house, played games and painted. Noah worked on a
project, which I’ll be happy to share details of in a future post. Scout did her thing, playing
barbies and watching tv, waiting ever so patiently for her buddies to arrive. Most guests
arrived around 4:00-5:00, with the exception of a few. It was very low key as we all sat and
enjoyed the fire, letting the kids run feral in the yard and feed the chickens. I was especially
impressed with Scout’s feeding technique, which involved taking a handful of treats and
aggressively throwing it through the fence as hard as she could. In her defense, she did
think she was doing an awesome job- so I just let her have her moment. We had a fire,
some drinks and food, and enjoyed each other’s company, which is something that has
grown harder as time has passed.

Every year we try to make a different menu. This year we did tacos. We pre-cut as many of
the veggies as we could, and Noah made the chicken and beef the night before, so all we
needed to do was throw it in the crock pot. I completely forgot to make a dessert this year,
but luckily I had been to Costco in the days prior and picked up ice cream for the kids. The
adults were happy with the libations, so I’ll get ‘em next year. The best thing about this day
is that it’s completely guilt-free and I don’t allow myself to hold expectations.

We decided to start celebrating May Day about four years ago, after we purchased our
home; and it was kind of out of the blue. Noah and I both enjoy hosting, and we wanted to
celebrate the warmer weather and season of new life. I personally practice the 13-month
calendar, which means that our family’s new year begins in the spring, when nature is
awakening. There is nothing better than welcoming it with a shared meal among friends.
If you’re familiar with the history of May Day, you know that it is the celebration of workers
and labor organizing. I’m not sure about anyone else, but the last few years have been so
incredibly difficult. Most days it’s felt like the world is closing in, and there is no end in
sight. For the majority of young people, our lives reflect that of basic survival rather than
flourishment, particularly driven by unemployment and poor working conditions. I’ve kind
of always hated the company I work for, but it’s been relentless since Trump took office
and blew up what little government protections workers had. My coworkers and I have
been fighting to establish a union for the last two years, and without a strong NLRB, it’s had
its challenges.

Maybe it’s my nature to fight back against “the man” that led me to instinctively choose to
celebrate this holiday, but I believe in the power of good and that, in the words of my
favorite musician, Atmosphere, “One little flicker of light can erase the dark.” I like to think
that my relentless pursuit of freedom from the confines of an oppressive system comes
out in everyday actions, such as practicing the acknowledgement of workers’ rights every
year. May Day is a reflection of the work that has been done to protect our humanity and
has grown significantly more important as the world grows darker.

Our entire existence is made up of energy, and energy can be harnessed. If an object in
motion stays in motion, we need to stop the trainwreck before we can swing the pendulum
to a more matriarchal, humanistic world. I think small things like celebrating May Day are
actions taken towards creating an opposition in the flow of negative energy. Moreover, with
the world spinning out of control around us, it’s just nice to be able to sit in a yard that you
nurture with your own hands, surrounded by friends who have become family. Of course,
evil will always exist, but it’s important to not let it win. We need more good than bad in this
world.

I hope that you’ll find your own way to celebrate this special day, and if not, you can always
find a spot at our table. I look forward to our continued tradition with optimism and
appreciation. Stay tuned for next year, when we bring out the carnival extravaganza!
With love,
Roslynn