Early May is a transition to spring. Spring equates to longer and warmer days. Trees release pollen, male robins sing, seeking a female of the species, for mating and nest building. What is Robin consciousness? Is there a smidgen of self-awareness in the matrix of instinct? Does a robin “feel”, register loss in any distinct manner, or a “win”? Is a bird elated to register another of the species willing to mate? Or do such things process along the cause and effect chain without any “spark” of happiness?

Life, all life amounts to a few basic conditions: 1) nourishment 2) shelter 3) reproduction. Complex forms of life modify the meaning of these basics in a dizzying variety of ways. Never to be overlooked are “rules”. I mean the constraints which nature presents, channeling the arc of engagement, constraining the “game” which all living things must play. The ultimate and final constraint is that of death, which we describe variously. My preferred description is the 2nd “law” of thermodynamics. In the language of physics molecular activity moves from a high condition of excitement toward cessation of activity, or heat death. Buddhists express it thusly: “everything that lives, dies”. To say differently: “game over”. Death like love is a mystery, wild, unpredictable, taken into account in the course of play.

I rolled the dice yesterday, as I often do, taking-a-chance, assuming risk for some reward. Maybe the “prize” is the simply the excitement of the play. Or maybe my reward is to extend the range of my understanding just a bit in an area of interest. Sometimes I am satisfied to witness something or someone else thriving. Risk-reward. Winning-losing. I can’t know, cannot predict such final outcomes.

The rule of thumb for gardening in the Midwest is to delay planting until Memorial day in late May. Killing frost has occurred up till late May. Yesterday on a whim I put in tomato, zucchini, and cucumber plants, a bet that early planting would be advantageous. I bet “against the house”, rolled the dice.

Frost came in the night, my expectations “be damned” – the plants are lost.

Sure it hurts, and I will go on.

Always go on, until you can’t.

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This tune by the Bee Gees will steady us along our way. Stayin’ Alive!