Another day, another blog. I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it.
In the continuing saga of my cobweb-clearing time-out, I took an early morning walk down to the lake for another round of peaceful space-staring and thumb-sucking. My bench was covered with morning dew. Rats! I stood shifting from one foot to another for a while, trying to figure out if I wanted to soggy myself up with morning dew or give it up and go back home. I decided in favor of dry bottom and headed home. Phooey. Oh well—on to Plan B, whatever that is. I guess I’ll have to make it up as I go.
On the return trip I met Kathleen and her dog Charlie (by their dogs ye shall know them) and we chatted for a while about my dog Charlie who, sadly, crossed the Rainbow Bridge last February. The thing about dog lovers is that nobody ever runs out of something to talk about. Ah, but I digress. After swapping names and contact information with my new friend, I went on my happy way and came upon an old friend—one I’ve known for several years. Old friend, new friend, grateful for all friends no matter age nor tenure.
But again I digress. This morning I saw a horrifyingly fascinating video of a full grown leopard with an alligator equal in size clamped between its massive jaws, hauling the thing out of the water and up a hill. It was pretty clear that one of the two was headed for the Rainbow Bridge, and my money was on the leopard. That is not a picture that I will soon forget.
To say that the scene was unsettling would be an understatement at the very least, made worse because there was something in it that seemed vaguely familiar. Uh oh. It reminded me of myself. Surely, nature is one of the best, and the cruelest of teachers.
I ask myself—am I the leopard or the alligator? Sometimes when my attempt at trying to get something to conform to whatever it is that I want, I am tempted to grab the thing by the scruff of the neck like a puppy with a stuffed toy and shake it until its stuffings fall out. It’s a pretty sure bet that my temptation to wrestle my way through a situation won’t always work out in my favor. Amidst a roomful of people who collectively agree with an idea that differs from my own, the chances of my success decrease exponentially. Let go or die, kill or be killed.
Somewhere in this scenario, I do believe that there must be a better approach. This morning’s aborted bench mission turned out to be just the blessing I needed. I traded in a wet bottom for a warm heart and reminded myself that sometimes it’s a better idea to just unclench my jaws, let the alligator go, and opt for Plan B instead. I may not get exactly what I wanted, but I just might get something even better.
Note: The photo above is courtesy of New Waves of Light, a website designed by anonymous individuals around the world who share the intention of bringing light and love to a world of darkness and chaos. (newwavesoflight.org or NWOL.us).