Happy May?

I walked into my boss's office Monday morning. It was my first day of work absent my sidekick, Dallas-Ryan, whose last day was the Friday before. My GBF was going to be gone all week in the Dominican Republic and I was facing a week covering their desks in their collective absence. I was anticipating a lot of self-pity. I'd also gotten almost zero sleep the night before, and having just returned from Tree's wedding shower, was feeling (as usual, post-wedding anything) a little deflated.

"Morning," I said half-heartedly, expecting as usual, no response other than glancing up from his work, smiling broadly at me, and continuing about his business. Jack is not much for small-talk. Instead, he looked up, smiled and said, "Happy May!" It hadn't really occured to me that it was May in the first place, but what about that was particularly happy, I wondered? I looked at him funny and went out to my desk. I thought about it a little.

Cinco De Mayo is in May...and for Americans who aren't celebrating Mexican independence, it's really a holiday mostly of just drinking and being happy. Maybe that's it. Memorial Day and Mother's Day are also both in May...which makes for three holidays in one month. That seems like a lot...and that could be cause for some happiness. Also the weather has by all accounts, changed for the season now. No more cold, no more dark. The opression of another Northeastern winter has lifted and I'm noticing that everyone does seem to be appreciating that, and thus, most everything else a little more. My birthday is in May, and so this year, is TT's wedding. Professionally exciting, the Network Upfronts are also in May, which means five of the industries biggest parties of the year, all in one week. By the time I was done mentally listing all of the reasons that May should possibly be greeted with anticipated happiness, I'd forgotten all about feeling tired and sad, and found myself instead, smiling.

Valerie came over then and we talked a little about the shower. "It was fun," I said. And she looked at me the way I'd just looked at Jack. "You never have fun at showers," and she should know because I go to a lot of them. "I know," I said, "but I think I'm getting used to it." I think I'm getting used to a lot of things...mostly though...adulthood. And the fact that it sometimes sucks.

I faced an abundance of uncomfortable adult lessons in the first few months of this year. And from minute one I'd resigned myself to the fact that it was a year doomed to fail me at every turn. But maybe not.

Here is my hope. Maybe May won't let me down. I've had a few promising job interviews, TT's wedding is in six days and the apartment is finally coming together. Tree's shower went flawlessly and I've managed to make the most of my nearly crippling surprise financial dilemma. I got to see my family recently, I'm planning visits with most of my close friends at some point over the summer, and it turns out that Brooklyn isn't all that bad.

So maybe Jack is right. It seems to have everything to do with how you look at things, and so I've revised my outlook in the hope that maybe it is, a happy May.