MAGNOLIA MUCK: Spring has definitely sprung here in the northeast. Birds are singing, and trees and flowers are blooming everywhere. So what’s not to like? Well, to be honest, I have mixed feelings about magnolia trees. They’re very pretty and they smell nice when in bloom, but their petals drop quickly and form a brown muck on the sidewalk. It serves as a reminder not to get too caught up in the seductive joy of April and May. Magnolia muck testifies to the fact that autumn isn’t all that far away. All bodily objects are subject to decay, without exception. To paraphrase the Christian ritual for Ash Wednesday, “remember that you are muck, and to muck you shall return.”

Well, just a quick reality fix. Now get back out there and enjoy the birds and the flowers and the rhythms of life. While ye may.