The (Re)Flowering of May-Time

“I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

-William Wordsworth 

Age 11, perhaps age 12, had me chance upon this most delightful and simple poem. A school assignment no doubt, six decades later as May unfurls Her Majesty, it still leaves me awestruck. The setup is simple: A walk in Nature interrupted by the splendor of a field of yellow flowers. Wordsworth explores the healing power of nature, the joy of solitude, and the lasting impact of memory. The poem depicts a lonely speaker finding bliss, inspiration, and a deep connection to nature upon discovering a field of dancing daffodils, emphasizing how this memory provides future emotional comfort. The words still move me.

How can such words, written almost 225 years ago, provide guidance in our era, and in our lives? Certainly, in our imaginations and in the many period Masterpiece Theatre dramas in the movies and television series, everyone back in that idyllic time, in that idyllic English Lake District countryside, ambled in backroads and flowering fields. The English Romantic poets had just begun, and Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were soon joined by Shelley, Byron and Keats. But so also did the Industrial Revolution take hold, changing forever our relationship with Nature. We were plucked out of the fields and put to work in factories, replacing Her Time with that of the timeclock. Such works of fiction were just that- works of fiction. Yet, then, as now, we need such reminders of what truly is important, even as we find ourselves moving inexorably forward in our day-to-day.

May is one of the “Between Times”, even as is late October into early November. It is a period where we have the opportunity, if not the obligation, to enter into a deeper liminal space- an almost dream-like dimension where the world slows just enough for us to catch a glimpse of Something…

Many of us are just now recovering from “that winter”…a season of record cold and snow. I find myself waking with the early rays of the sun still slightly suspicious of the weather to come. I have but recently stopped looking to see if the forecast will somehow still include some last lingering white reminder that winter has not truly yet left. There was, just a few days ago, such a threat of an inch or so of snow in the forecast. (It turned out to be false). So, as I seek to embrace Spring, I do find myself walking on familiar as well as unfamiliar roads looking for signs of Her re-emergence. Here in the Berkshires it comes a few weeks later. The daffodils have reared their heads, bowing in humility to their large cousins- the forsythias. Brilliant, unyielding, unrelenting, “Yellow”. Ahhh!  It is like a very large orchestra tuning their instruments, waiting for the first full measures to begin. 

I do walk, I do amble, I do rejoice with Her. She has not left me…but has only waited for exactly the right moment to emerge. Perfectly timed as always, just-in-time, as always. I/We have been invited to the dance, but dare we?

There are three questions to answer before taking that first gambol.

• Am I ready?
• Where do I go?
• What foot do I begin upon?

The answer to all 3 is: “Yes”! Yes to being ready. Reading this really is a qualifier. As to where to go…anywhere you wander in Nature is the right choice. As to which direction , and with what foot,…just start walking. See where it takes you….not the other way around. So often we live and act as if we were in charge. The Great illusion. Let your feet guide you- take a chance. Turn yourself over to Nature, to Her Beauty and Majesty. What experiences you come upon will doubtlessly be delightful…simply because you are letting go. That IS the first and great step on the spiritual Path. 

Finally, enjoy it with all of your senses. Close your eyes and listen. Keeping them shut, determines what you smell. If you are feeling adventuresome, allow yourself (as did those Romantic poets) to feel your heart and emotions. Give in…no one is watching. As children that is exactly what we did. That child has never left you…but you may have forgotten it. Perhaps most importantly, remember to remember. The frolics and idylls of our youth are still there somewhere. Make this month of May a time of re-Discovery.