Nothing is as good as it might be, or really is, when it is forced on you.  Not “On the Waterfront”; not raw oysters with Tabasco and lemons; not your little brother who your mom forces you to take with you to mini-magpie scout meetings so she can get her talons done.

And so it is with Summer.

Our cars, our plastics, our Amazon packages of face cream, our addiction to convenience and capitalism have conspired to force Summer on us year round.  So much so that, frankly, this old Magpie is getting a little sick of its once-favorite time of year.

We were promised Seasons!

We were promised the sweet relief of a crisp, romantic Fall, followed by the cozy chill of a hearty Winter.  Some of us bought sweaters!  (…and now it’s dawning on us why we get so many flyers in our nest for sweaters at 70% discounts…)  Nobody likes sweating on Halloween or sunbathing on Winter Break.  And those “Santa-on-a-Surfboard” ads are no longer amusing.  But it seems like Mother Nature is angry with us, forcing us to sit at the table we set for ourselves:  “Shut up and eat your Summer!”

So we must take a collective breath, spread our wings and fly to the nearest forest (if it hasn’t burned down), lake (if it hasn’t dried up), or ocean (if it hasn’t turned red with a algae infections) and stop the worry, the fury, the emergency – for a few minutes – to look up, and around us:  It really is a beautiful sky, isn’t it?  And those waves breaking on the shore do sound peaceful.  The excited trills and innocent chirps.  The playful whisper of a wind frolicking through orchards or rows of tall pines.  A fat cloud!  A warm droplet or two landing softly on our feathers.

Gems of glory are still around, if we take a breath, stop feeling forced, and take a thoughtul look.

Our Summer 2022  Issue 18 contains such gems by an international collection of artists – from India and Israel to Maine and Tennessee.  The writing is crisp and cozy; the poetry is sumptious and thoughtful; the art and photography are calming and fun.  There might even be some thought-provoking ideas, maybe timely, maybe political, definite hints of mischief and mayhem.  So click on (www.thievingmagpie.org) and take a look.  But nobody is forcing you.