Walking past the elevator the other day, I see coworker Nate. He does that thing I always love where something dawns on him and he says, “Oh! I’ve bee meaning to tell you!” because I know what’s coming next – something Shakespeare. I just never know what. But it’s always awesome, because it means people are spotting Shakespeare out in the world because of me.

“I was at the liquor store near my house the other day,” he continues. My immediate thought is that he’s going to mention “Oberon” wine. But then I think, does Nate follow Shakespeare enough that he’d spot a Midsummer Night’s Dream reference in the wild.  “I saw this beer that had something Shakespeare on it…”

“You saw ShakesBeer?” I asked, getting excited.

I first spotted the existence of ShakesBeer this summer at Richard III. They are based out of Hingham, Massachusetts which is close enough to me to feel like it’s in my backyard, but realistically far enough away that I won’t be making any casual trips down there anytime soon.

“I know exactly who that is, and I’ve been looking for it,” I tell him. “I haven’t been able to find it where I live. They more south of the city.”

“I was going to get some for you but I didn’t know if you were a craft beer drinker,” says Nate.

“If you tell me you spotted it here in town I’m going to get in my car right now, put it that way,” I tell him.

“Unfortunately no, it was closer to where I live, down in Foxboro. When I’m back at that store I’ll have to get you some now that I know you’re into it.”

I agree with this plan and tell him that I’ll happily reimburse him should he find some.

But wait, it gets better!  That was on a Friday. That weekend, Dave (who happens to work in Nate’s department) sends me an actual picture of ShakesBeer because he too has discovered it (and he, too, knows that if Shakespeare’s spotted in the wild, the first thing you do is contact me ;)). I ask him as well whether he found it in town, and he says that no, he found it in Plymouth.  Unlike Nate he got some for himself, and tells me it’s quite good.

Later I ask Nate if he and Dave were discussing it and he tells me that, nope, that was entirely unrelated.  The universe really wants me to find this beer!

So here’s a thought that occurred to me the other night. Bear with me, this is a strange one. But what the heck, it’s my site, the whole point is supposed to be my ideas about stuff.

Lately I’ve been salting my food a lot.  Definitely when cooking regular entrees, but also seemingly odd choices, like peanut butter, or chocolate. If you haven’t tried it I highly recommend it.  Why?  Because, as the cooking shows will tell you, salt makes things taste better. The best way I heard it described was, salt makes things taste more like what they’re supposed to taste like.

Except, of course, if you use too much. Then your food tastes salty. And that defeats the whole purpose.

Ok, who sees where I’m going with this? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Shakespeare makes life better.  This is kind of what I’m talking about. You experience something. You give it a little Shakespeare. It becomes a better, deeper, more enriched experience. Sure, you can give your girlfriend a card for Valentine’s Day, or you can drop a quote from Romeo and Juliet in there. Someone’s getting married, or having a baby, and you want to send congratulations. Shakespeare’s got you. Or maybe somebody’s passed on, and you need to express your grief or condolences. Shakespeare can handle that for you, too.

Just like salt, too much can ruin it.

Not many friends are to be made if you
insist on speaking all your lines this way.

Not my greatest couplet but that was kind of my point.  Working some Shakespeare into your life isn’t supposed to be a challenge or a chore, it’s supposed to come naturally. If you have to force it, maybe change your approach.

My favorite part of this analogy is when you add the salt.  You add it at the beginning (or during). That brings out the flavor at every level.  If you add it at the end, after you’re done cooking, all you get is a surface layer.  So when’s the best time to teach Shakespeare? When a student’s formal education is approaching its end? Or right at the beginning?