The Merry Month Of May

O the month of May, the merry month of May,
So frolic, so gay, and so green, so green, so green!
O, and then did I unto my true love say,
Sweet Peg, thou shalt be my Summer's Queen.

'The Merry Month of May' by Thomas Dekker originally published in The Shoemaker's Holiday (1600).

The Merry Month of May is aslo the title of a book written by American author James Jones centered on the student protests of May 1968 in Paris. Politics and social upheaval are awkwardly mixed with sexual alliances described in the most vulgar terms. The book is at times funny in a cynical way that seems before its time.

I first read the book in May 1989 during the famous 'SAP Riots' when thousands of Nigerians - led by students- poured into the streets to protest the effects of the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) of the then military government of Ibrahim Babangida. The military junta responded by closing down five universities for five months! (note the recurrence of the number five and May is the fifth month of the year). This was unprecedented in Nigeria and since then, from personal observation every year there is one form of student unrest or the other in the month of May which leads to campuses being closed down.

What has this got to do with me?

Ever since I have come to an understanding of the Law of Cycles, I have discovered that May is the end of a cycle for me. Most people say January is the driest month of the year when they feel a low after the festivities of December. When they are most broke. For me, that month is May. May is my Month of Melancholy.

I have tried to break the cycle severally. I have tried everything from esusu to fixed deposits but whosai. In the year 2000, my father passed away at the end of April and I practically spent the whole of May that year grieveing sort of. You can imagine having to bury your father and you were broke as hell. It wasn't funny at all.

As the month of May approaches every year, I always seemed to have a major expense to take care of which leaves me broke or as near as possible to broke. And since 2001, there would be the anniversary of my Dad passing on. All of which leaves me melancholic.

However, with the knowledge I now have, I have stopped trying to break the cycle or even fighting it. Now I try to work with the cycle. I have since learnt to take things easy as the month of May approaches. I leave off all major expenses, decisions, projects and whatever till much later in the year and just live each day as it comes. Afterall, there are only thirty-one days in May. I generally take a holi-month in May.

This year, I had taken it easy as usual, spending more time with my new baby and family. When I go to the office in causals people have stopped asking me if its a public holiday as I always tell them its my holi-month. Luckily, I work in an IT firm so there are no strict dress-codes.
I have also learnt to work with the Law of Reversed Efforts. I have learnt to combine rest with activity and achieve maximum results.

I have begun to see the wisdom in the Yoruba saying that:

'Kira kita o d'ola; Ka s'ise bi eru o da nkan; Oluwa ni n'gbe ni ga'

Translated: Success in anything is appointed by GOD; not by the amount of 'gra-gra' or efforts we put in. (And if you don't know the meaning of 'gra-gra', please check your Webster's Dictionary, it should be there somewhere between 'Grace' and 'Gratitude'. If you get my drift.)

In the last few weeks before the hiatus, my posts on this blog were more of rantings than writings, I realised I was getting rather negative about several things and the melancholy was setting in. Things that would ordinarily not worry me were getting to me. After my last post, I took Solomonsydelle's advice as golden-tongued wisdom and decided to take things easy. I took a break from most things, even blogging and incidentally she has particularly been most active about 'Finding N.I.M.M.O'. Sincerely, I never knew I would be missed.

I had been sneaking onto Blogville once in a while to read. I read about adventures in Macy's as a 2P miniskirt, about Fathers-in-Law who should have being a soldier, about soundtracks and all, about Mr. Perfect, about the Academy thats probably on hold, about spelling Africa or Afrika and meeting a Moor, about Double Deuces, about Rules and Regulations for a would-be husband, about giving someone a present off someone else's car, about Music of the Heart and the tag I have not responded to, about Jibiti, with the way she had mobilized Niaja bloggers on Brutish Airways and her grasp of issues, my vote is for Solomonsydelle anytime she's ready to run for President. I just never had the energy to write anything, I couldn't even think enough to comment on other people's posts until recently.

Interestingly, May is the month of sensuality and sexuality, the reawakening of the earth in vivid colours, vibrant scents, fresh greenery and the sheer joy after a long dormant winter. You see, May is also My Month of Magnificient Makeovers!

I must thank every body who had expressed concern on my absence. Much love to you all.

' .. I want to give a sharrout to my Mummy, I want to give a sharrout to my Mama Mulika who is living in our house and to Baba Mulika too. I want to give a sharrout to em ... em ... em... Anyway, you know yourselves.

As the cyborg said to the woman in Terminator 7;

'I am back!'