Skunk Cabbage

Skunk cabbage should be named something more majestic in the spring. She is such a beautiful reminder of color and life; she is the first to break through in the forest and hopefully the first food the bears who are waking up. 

I find "skunk cabbage" so belittling for the comforting creature who makes me smile every spring. Yes, she will soon make the mud around her smell so bad that you might have to throw away your shoes if you get stuck, but for now she is stunningly gorgeous. 

As a bonus, soon it becomes a good chance to talk about sex education with your kids. The skunk cabbage has a fascinating reproductive cycle. I'm a far cry from an expert on plants, but my favorite quote in a short synopsis of the skunk cabbage is, 

"skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus renifolius), can produce massive heat during the female stage but not during the subsequent male stage in which the stamen completes development" 

I'm feeling you there. I do know something about producing massive heat. It's also pretty obvious to even the casual observer when she becomes he. I actually thought I just imagined that's what happened until I read the scientific account of its development. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640927)

Anyway, I'd like to name her King Cobra or Swamp Princess or Yellow Enchantress. Sometimes I think we all should have lots of names because one label doesn't capture who we are or all that we can be. 

One of the weirdest and fascinating of stories in the Bible is Jacob wrestling.

Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.

Jacob is renamed Israel (wrestles with God) but he never gets to know the name of the man. I have no brilliant insight other than to acknowledge that sometimes letting go of labels and identities can be a fruitful thing.