Daddy Long Legs



September 19th, 2008, a Friday

Today I have no coherent thoughts.  Just a complete hodge podge of things swirling around in my little bear head.  Does that ever happen to you? 

For example, I saw a daddy long legs up in the corner of the garage.  She had spun a beautiful web to live in, her home.  And she proudly stood on it, up on her spindly legs.  Maybe it was just me, but she seemed to be daring me to even think about getting the broom out and just sweeping that cobweb right out of the garage corner.  I guess if you live with that type of risk in your life, having your home destroyed by one sweep of the broom after you went to all the hard work of making it yourself, then you could get rather philosophical about the ever present danger.  I have to admit that after I looked her right in the eye (well, I'm not sure it was her "eye"), there was no way I was going to put the broom to her home.  She was too powerful and proud for that.  No, as far as I know, she is still hanging out in her web. 

I've also noticed that the flowers in the garden that have been looking so spent after such a long, hot summer are beginning to perk up.  They love the sun but not the intense desert summer heat and now they are feeling so much better, blooming and showing off.  That tricks me every year.  Just when it is time to say we should get those summer flowers out of those beds and plant the winter flowers, I can't go through with it because the summer flowers look so healthy and happy.  But then when it starts to get cold, you realize that they aren't going to make it through the winter and you should have just taken a deep breath and pulled them out of the ground at their autumn peak.  But I still have trouble doing that. 

I know of this guy who always, always looks happy and in a good mood.  His eyes twinkle and he smiles at you and it makes you feel good.  He's a fireman and an emergency medical technician.  I told the Dutchman how lucky this guy was to be one of the fortunate ones who was just born with a sunny outlook on life.  Well, I found out that he wasn't born that way at all.  He decided to be that way.  He grew up in a tough neighborhood and his dad was a hard working cop.  As a boy, he got into lots of trouble, always making it difficult for his dad.  One day his dad got real sick and even when he was feeling his worst, my friend was still misbehaving and acting out.  His dad didn't make it and my friend realized that he was living his life in the worst possible way and that he wanted to honor his father's hard work and commitment to his family with his own life.  He himself wanted to be his father's legacy.  So he straightened out his life, dedicated it to public service, and begin to see each day as a good day.  And as far as I can tell, he really means it.  There's a real lesson in there.  He chooses to be happy, of service, and grateful.  Now that's inspiring.

Today I am going to choose to let the daddy long legs live as long a life as nature intended, enjoy the resurgence of the summer flowers in September, and enjoy every moment of this Friday.  If you can do it once, maybe you can get used to it and do it again and again. 

Can you imagine what would happen to the world if we all just realized how much of life is a choice?

GR