I love St. Patrick’s Day, and I really missed the celebrations last year, and sadly I must miss them again this season. The long-standing Chicago tradition of dying the river green was a no-go in 2020, and a late “Oh, ok, do it then” from the Mayor was disappointing. Still, they killed the parades, nixed gathering, stopped pub crawls, and canceled fun. The cancelation of the annual events, my harbinger of Spring, has left me searching for signs of Blarney Green.

That was what attracted me to today’s quote. I could become a magical leprechaun. Pots of gold exist, and granting other people’s wishes is easier than you could imagine. A kind word can often change the trajectory of someone’s day. A simple act of kindness can have an enormous impact. Holding a door open for a frazzled mother or an older person might be the best human interaction they have all week.

My grocery store has a raffle where they hand out game pieces for prizes. They base the number of cards you receive on the amount of your purchase. This week I gave all of my cards to a woman in another line. She had been arguing with the cashier about how many she should receive. Her expression was priceless. But hands-down, the best payoff was the look on the cashier’s face.

On St. Patrick’s Day, I am cooking a massive corned beef brisket with cabbage, potatoes, a loaf of Irish Soda Bread, along with my new favorite dish Colcannon. If you like cabbage and potatoes and a bit of yummy bacon added as an extra treat, more is never a problem. This newly minted magical leprechaun would be remiss if we overlooked a dram or two of good Irish whiskey. Then I plan to search for more wishes needing to be granted.

Whose wish will you grant today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer