Nate 2.0
Well, it's happened again. I've been befriended by another housefly in my office. Yes, I am calling it Nate 2.0. Regular readers will recall the story of the original Nate, that lively, happy-go-lucky little musca domestica that kept me company for as long as it naturally could. Nate 2.0 showed up on Tuesday. It enjoys helping me work and sharing a cup of tea with me. It even keeps very close, alighting onto my shoulder and swirling around my head whilst I stretch out on my yoga mat.
Speaking of yoga, our calico, Ruby, is here demonstrating excellent Cat and Cow form.
I'm having one of those lazy Saturday mornings. Those of you with youngsters in the house will have no idea what I'm talking about. Or, perhaps it is a distant pleasurable memory.
It is a gorgeously cool and sunshiny early Fall morning. The leaves in the valley are turning red and yellow. My veg garden is slowly closing in on itself in preparation for the winter months.
I don't have a particularly busy life. There is not a whole lot of routine to my days and weeks nor are there any pressing goals that need to be met. I am one of the lucky ones, that way. I have oodles of time to just be and to reflect on a life of my own making. It is one of the gifts of aging - the ability to look back on a life lived, to forgive oneself her transgressions, and to look toward a more peaceful future.
I was recently asked how I incorporate spirituality into daily life. The question made me pause; I had to think about it. The short answer is that I do what comes naturally. When I first step outside at the beginning of the day, I say Good Morning to Mother Nature and all her beings. And then I wait a bit in case She wants to greet me back. Often, she does making me feel welcomed, safe and calm.
I have tried to meditate but I am too fidgety. I just can't sit still long enough to "empty my mind" and, quite frankly, I don't want to. I take solace in my thoughts. So, I hang out with the trees and the bees and meditate on them. I walk barefoot in the grass and marvel at the flowers and mushrooms and "weeds" that simply grow, that simply do their thing, no questions asked, no angsty worries about whether they are pretty enough or smart enough or popular enough.
And, I try to look upon humanity with compassion and understanding. This is perhaps my hardest challenge because some human beings are hard to fathom. But I also get that I, too, am an enigma for others. Knowing this helps to remind me that we are just doing our best wherever we are in life. I know that makes me sound oh, so spiritually elevated but, trust me when I say not so much. I can rant and rail with the best of them. That's just being human.
Finally, I can appreciate when a housefly keeps me company. Life doesn't get any simpler than when a delightful living being shares its day with you.
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