Pondering Possibilities

 

 

 

 

 

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

— Gloria Steinem, American journalist and political activist

 

 

The fountain in the back yard is bubbling while I quietly survey the thriving plants and vibrant flowers.  As I sip my first cup of coffee, my attention is quickly attracted to a large butterfly.  The wing span is so wide I at first think it must be hummingbird, but the structure is way too delicate.  I grab my camera in hopes of capturing its delicate image, but it is way too fast for me.  So I just sit and watch as it flits to and fro around the yard.  Such grace and ease it has.  Its delicate ease and beauty is engraved in my memory.

 

By now I am enjoying my second cup of java and have been noticing a noisy bird in the tree.  It is a dull gray color with a bulging belly.  It is not pretty like a cardinal or a blue jay or robin and most definitely is not a song bird.  It just screeches.  I wonder of its importance.

 

I am startled by still a different butterfly.  This one is smaller than the first I saw, but it is colored like a zebra.  It stays longer on the flowers and has lovely movements, but not nearly as graceful as the first I saw.

 

A butterfly lives for about a month.  It goes through an extreme transformation accepting all of its stages and changing environments.  It is no surprise a butterfly is a symbol for transition and is associated with the soul.

 

Our lives are much longer than a butterfly, but we too go through transformation from fetus to adulthood.   As human beings we adapt to various environments and present in different structures mostly without grace.  We also move through many metamorphoses developing emotional and spiritual values. 

 

As a grand finale to my coffee hour, a hawk  soars in the sky.  He is not a Red Tail Hawk like those found in Illinois.  His wings are much more decorated as he spreads them to fly.

 

So in contemplation, I ponder simple thoughts.  Did the butterfly have any awareness of me  as I watched perched in my chair?  Did the screeching bird sense I was a stranger in his yard?  As the hawk glides up in the sky, does he know I am near by?  If the answer is no to each of these thoughts, would it also be true God's presence is unrecognized as each moment of  life slips by ...



A Small Mantra

"You see," he said, "all people are holy.  Whether they recognize it or not is not important.  Whether you recognize it in them, that's very important.  When you see every person as innocent and holy you change yourself and you change the world."

Jessica Maxwell

A ROLL AROUND HEAVEN

Together we can and must change the world.  If we begin with our selves, the change will be gradual yet consistent.  Start small and our ideas will sprout and blossom into changing the design of the surrounding world.  Begin with a small mantra like, "Peace be with you," silently offered as we pass each other by.  Graduate to a meaningful expression extended to those passing by.  Perhaps a smile with a sincere petite greeting, "Good day!"

One day I had an appointment with the social security office.  I of course was early and their appointments were running way late.  I was nervous and anxious and clearly did not want to be sitting in this line of chairs with other irritable people.  With out any other distractions, I decided to send silent messages of peace and calm to anyone near me.  I visualized light spreading further and further into the room of gathered  impatient people.    Finally, my number was called.

Business finished, I practically ran out of the building to be in the fresh air.  When I headed towards the parking lot, I felt pelts of rain splashing on my face.  Amazing!  We had not had rain for weeks.  I turned to the gentleman walking beside me and said, "What is this stuff?" He laughed and replied, "I don't know, but quit hogging it!"

These small acts are just a few examples of how we can initiate change without spending additional time or money.  Although appearing trivial, I do believe that our actions set the tone for those around us.  It is time we start seeing people again as having worth, deserving of honor and respect.  Even if for a brief moment, if we are willing to stand present in the life of an other, our witnessing will initiate good will between us all.