The free MAY Starter Kit
Three small things for a better day
A bingo card for the life you want, a morning that starts outside, and soap you make yourself. No perfect life required, and you do not have to already be “that person.” Just start with one.
1 · Vision Board Bingo
Build a card for the life you want
Twenty-four small, doable squares, a free middle, and rewards on the back for every line you finish. The rows follow the six MAY elements: your body, your rest, your people, your purpose and your home. The card starts with suggestions. Tap any square to swap it or write your own, or keep it as it is. Then print it and stick it on the fridge, or print a blank one and fill it in by hand.
Your card
Body · Movement and Nutrition
Rest · Sleep
People · Connection
Purpose · Purpose
Home · Environment
The back of your card: your rewards
Pick a treat for each win, or write your own. Bigger wins, bigger treats.
Your card stays on this device. In the print window you can choose Save as PDF.
2 · Your morning ritual
Go outside. Drink something warm.
Morning light tells your body what time it is, and that is a big part of sleeping well tonight. This takes 10 minutes, needs zero equipment, and gives you an excellent excuse to stand outside in your socks. Or no socks.
The Morning Sun Ritual
- 1Wake: Get up around sunrise if you can. If sunrise happens at an hour you refuse to acknowledge, go outside within the first hour of your day. Daylight counts.
- 2Brew: Make the Hot Lemon Drink below, or a drink of your choice: tea, coffee, warm water, whatever makes you happy. Put it in a mug you love.
- 3Shoes: Leave your shoes at the door. All of them.
- 4Step out: Walk outside and stand with bare feet on the grass, the dirt, the sand or whatever ground you have. Cold toes are a feature.
- 5Look: Face the brightest part of the sky and let the light hit your face. Do not stare straight at the sun. Your eyes have been through enough.
- 6Sip and stroll: Take a slow walk, or just stand there and sip. Five to ten minutes is plenty. Your phone stays inside.
- 7Notice: Find one thing you see, one thing you hear and one thing you feel. Congratulations, you just meditated and got your steps in.
- • Cloudy, dark or snowy? Daylight still counts, it is just dimmer. A bright window works in a pinch, but outside is better.
- • Skip the bare feet if the ground is icy, scorching or has anything sharp on it. Shoes on works too.
- • A night-shift schedule? Do this when your day starts, not when the sun does.
The recipe
Hot Lemon Drink
Takes 2 minutes. Caffeine-free. Good in the morning or to wind down at night.
- • Hot water, hot but comfortable to drink
- • 1 lemon wedge
- • 5 to 8 whole peppercorns, or a pinch of ground black pepper
- • Optional: a drizzle of honey
- • Optional: 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- • A mug you love. Glass or insulated keeps it warm on your walk.
- 1Heat: Heat the water until it is hot but comfortable to drink. If it is scalding, wait. Your tongue will thank you.
- 2Lemon: Add the lemon wedge to your mug and gently squeeze in some of the juice.
- 3Pepper: Add the peppercorns or a pinch of ground black pepper. Peppercorns sink to the bottom and make your mug look fancy.
- 4Honey: If you like, add a drizzle of honey.
- 5Apple cider vinegar: If you like, add a splash, about 1 teaspoon.
- 6Stir: Stir well and drink warm.
A great drink if you are fasting in the morning (skip the honey) or want to cut back on coffee. Honey soothes the throat and adds a little sweetness. Apple cider vinegar adds a tangy kick.
3 · Make anything yourself
Hand soap, in five minutes
Three ingredients, one bottle, no chemistry degree. Plastic is the only thing in your house that will outlive your couch, so let's help glass and reusables win: use a bottle you already own, and refill it instead of buying a new one.
Takes about 5 minutes. Makes 8 oz.
- • 2 oz liquid Castile soap, scented or unscented (we love Dr. Bronner's)
- • 5½ oz water
- • 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
- • ½ teaspoon jojoba oil
- • Optional: 20 drops essential oil. Sweet orange, lavender or frankincense are lovely. Skip it if your Castile is already scented.
- • A foaming pump bottle, 8 to 12 oz. Glass is our favorite, and one you already have beats a new one.
- 1Mix: Add the water to a clean foaming pump bottle first, then the Castile soap, glycerin and jojoba oil. Water first means less foam drama.
- 2Scent: If your Castile is unscented and you want a scent, add the essential oil. If it is already scented, skip this and do not add more. Your nose has limits.
- 3Pump: Screw on the foaming pump and gently swirl. Do not shake it like a protein shake, unless you want a bottle full of foam and not much soap.
- 4Wash: Pump, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse. Feel unreasonably smug.
- 5Before each use: Give it a gentle swirl if it has separated.
- • This has water in it and no preservative, so use it within about 2 weeks. If the smell, color or clarity changes, toss it and make a fresh batch.
- • A little jojoba separation is normal. That is what the swirl is for.
- • Want soap that lasts for months? Skip the water and use 7½ oz Castile with the same glycerin and jojoba, in a regular pump bottle.
Want more where that came from?
MAY Everyday has 12 recipes, 11 homemade products, and element cards with tools for the everyday things that get in your way, including a Vision Board Bingo that saves your card and ticks the squares for you.
Explore MAY Everyday