Wild Women 2002

'Tis Beltane Eve, children. And I can't help but hark back to a previous life when the Wild Women ruled. We threw a party on the weekend nearest to May first that included costumes and music and mead and roasted meat and an induction ceremony where we welcomed new members into the Wild Women fold. We called it the Druid Festival. I hear this party is no longer held and that spring is no longer ceremoniously welcomed in the social circle that abandoned me when my marriage was over. This photo is from late April 2002, and if I recall correctly it was sleeting outside. It's one of those miracle pics from the film age, a one snap fortunate circumstance where eight women, eight!, have all been captured in a flattering pose. No eyes closed, no one hidden. We are all smiles and frivolity. Twelve years later, this is how I choose to remember this time. These women were my closest friends. On this Beltane Eve I am reminded that the only constant in any of our lives is change. Embracing that chilly fact and making it your friend is basic to survival. Don't we all look fabulous?