Grounded in Joy

FORWARD: SOCIABILITY WAS AN ONLINE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO “LIVING GENEROUSLY AND SERVING JOYFULLY.”

AN IDEA BORN DURING THE THROES OF COVID, SOCIABILITY CAME TO LIFE THROUGH MY FRIENDSHIP WITH TONY RUTIGLIANO. WITH TONY AS THE PUBLISHER AND ME AS EXECUTIVE EDITOR, TOGETHER WE LAUNCHED SOCIABILITY AS A DIFFERENT KIND OF ONLINE MAGAZINE. WE RECRUITED FRIENDS, FRIENDS OF FRIENDS, AND STRANGERS WHO BECAME FRIENDS TO WRITE STORIES ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND TO SERVE ON OUR BOARD. EVERYONE WAS A VOLUNTEER. IT WAS A MAGAZINE FULL OF WAYS THAT PEOPLE ARE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. OUR CONTRIBUTORS AND I SHARED STORIES OF FRESH AIR AND DOGS, LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD, LOVING PEOPLE JUST AS THEY ARE (INCLUDING YOURSELF), SHARING ONE’S TALENTS AND ENTHUSIASM WITH OTHERS, DADS SPENDING TIME WITH DAUGHTERS, MOMS SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, AND BAKING REALLY GOOD CAKE. FOR ME, THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH OUR CONTRIBUTORS WAS EXTRAORDINARY.

THE MAGAZINE EXISTED FROM NOVEMBER 2020 - MAY 2022. WE STILL SEE LITTLE GLIMMERS OF ITS IMPACT TODAY, WHICH SAYS TO US THAT SOCIABILITY LIVED A GOOD LIFE. THAT’S ABOUT THE BEST THING YOU CAN SAY ABOUT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING WHEN YOU SAY GOOD-BYE.

hERE’S ONE OF MY STORIES, ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR SOCIABILITY AND NOW RETURNED TO ME TO SHARE WITH YOU.

Although I’ve been a Texan for going on twenty years, I still get a little mixed up about the spring-summer transition. Do April showers bring May flowers in Texas, or does the proliferation of April flowers suggest the showers happened in March?  

Regardless, we all know what May flowers bring, right? Pilgrims (ba-DUM-bum).  

But seriously, out of all the months in the year, May has always felt like the month I can count on. Every May, graduates are taking their final finals on their way to achieving one of the biggest milestones in their lives. Every May, we collectively thank and remember the women who taught us the miracle of a mother’s unconditional love. Every May, we honor and remember those who died while fighting in service to our country. The circle of a grounded life earnestly lived seems especially evident to me in May.  

Because in May there’s nearly no chance of winter coming back, I will also frivolously buy at least one new sundress because I know I’m going to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. I might even dust off my bike to really explore the great outdoors. Wait, patios count, right? Cinco de Mayo and National Wine Day are in May, after all.   

May is nature. May is flavor. May is community. May is new beginnings. Sum it up, and May is grounded in joy.