Health vs. Wealth

The official start of spring on March 19th is rapidly approaching. But before the spring equinox, there is an important day many do not wish to miss – St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th!

Across the country, there will be parades, pub celebrations and all things green! One longstanding tradition is the dyeing of the Chicago River, scheduled for Saturday before the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. The dyeing is done by members of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130, who have been turning the river into a stunning emerald green for over 65 years.

When you have Irish roots like me, St. Patrick’s Day was always marked by family traditions passed down from generations. Mom would make the traditional dinner of corned beef, boiled potatoes, and the dreaded cooked cabbage that I refused to eat!  There was always green dessert – mint chocolate chip ice cream, or a cake with green frosting.

The best part of St. Patrick’s Day was not the food; it was listening to the Irish proverbs and tales of the “wee people.”

Seanfhocail Says

Irish seanfhocails (shan-oh-ke ) are proverbs passed on through the generations that provide words of wisdom and inspiration on life situations.

One of my grandfather’s favorite seanfhocails was: “Health is better than wealth.” At the time, I thought this made absolutely no sense. I imagined all the benefits of wealth – a nice house, fast car, fashionable clothes and of course, a horse. With age, the wisdom of this seanfhocail became clear.

Here’s a few other favorite seanfhocails!

Happiness being a dessert so sweet, may life give you more than you can ever eat.

Here’s to a fellow who smiles when life runs along like a song. And here’s to the lad who can smile when everything goes dead wrong.

May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been. The foresight to know where you are going. And the insight to know when you have gone too far.

May the dreams you hold dearest be those which come true; the kindness you spread, keep returning to you.

Beware of “Wee People”

The Irish are famous for storytelling, and my family was not an exception. There were stories about Irish farmers, fisherman, and  fairies. But by far, my favorite stories were those about the stories of the “wee people,” more commonly referred to as leprechauns.

These weren’t the typical tales of leprechauns hiding gold coins in pots at the end of rainbows. Instead, they were stories of leprechauns using their magical powers to outsmart my grandfather or father whenever they tried to capture them. If by chance one was caught, it never ended well. The leprechaun always managed to escape, often by tricking them out of money, candy, and even my toys!

So be careful if you should run into a leprechaun! And as  the Irish say, sláinte chugat ( slawn-cha hoo-ut’or) or  “good health to you” on St. Patrick’s Day and always!

Enjoy the weekend!

Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]