I had a plan when I started this blog post a week ago. I was going to complain about Daylight Savings Time, lament the fact that I had to miss my kindred Spring ritual because I’d be in another state, and then post about making cookies with Haggis.
And then COVID-19 hit the fan.
NYC has a curfew; our flight to Texas isn’t happening, Ian will be working from home starting tomorrow and ending ???
The POTUS just got on television and said this could last well into August.
I am sitting here wondering how I am going to entertain my kid inside all day, every day without allowing him a lot of screen time.
While activities for Haggis are going to happen, right now, I want to focus on how we can be good members of our community.
Have you seen those lists of song lyrics that last for twenty seconds floating around social media? Me too. Guess what? I came up with something too.
Michaela Macha wrote and posted Frigga Loves Me over on Odin’s Gift. It’s a song I’ve sung to Haggis since he was born, and around 3 am this morning, I woke up and wrote a verse for Eir. If you sing it in the same tune as “Jesus Loves Me,” it will last 23 seconds. The recommended minimum length for handwashing is 20 seconds. Coincidence? No, not really. I planned it that way.
Here are the lyrics I wrote:
Eir does love me
This I know
For my Kindred tells me so.
Washing my hands while singing this song,
Helps to keep our community strong!
Yes Eir does love me!
Yes Eir cares for me!
I help Eir protect the community!
By washing while singing this song!
If you aren’t familiar with the tune of the song, please feel free to follow this link to Michaela’s song. There is an MP3 there that will help. As my lyrics are new, they aren’t included, but it’s something that will translate.
I plan to sing the song while washing Haggis’ hands – and my own – from now until he can sing it himself. The point here is to make sure he always washes for at least 20 seconds, but this will also (I hope) reinforce the fact that deeds are important in Heathenry, and it is our job to be the good we want to see in the world.
Take care of yourselves, y’all. And don’t hoard resources. Only dragons hoard. And you know what Heathens do to dragons.
Hávamál Mama 