While sitting on a mountain lake in the summer in the Oregon mountains, I took the moment to see what a beautiful place it was. It had pine trees growing right to the shore, and sat at the base of Mount Pitt, which is a striking mountain on it's own with a majestic peak and steep angled descent on both sides. The mountain wind blew by and set this peaceful lake into a rippled affect that looked like a natural show of energy moving from one side of the lake to the other. In the clear water below I could see a trout hiding from the noon sun in the shadow of a bolder that had been their for generations. On the shore line was the art of nature in wild flowers that had been so gracious as to bring several colors out from the earth, for my moment of conscience mediation.
I set their for a few minutes watching the clouds dance from one shape to another as they drifted sporadically across the heavens. That one looked like a face, that other one looked like a car, and still that other cloud had not yet found it's destined appearance. The breeze came up and again and with it a new found beauty displayed itself before my eyes.
Time passed so quickly in this moment, that soon I realized that the sun was making it's trek ever so slightly down into the horizon. Suddenly I felt something against my leg, and looked down to see a wonderful sign of life. A small but precious butterfly had landed on my leg to say hello. Perhaps seeing that I had found the moment so deep that it to wanted to show me it's part in the amazing show I was taping into. I looked closely at this gentle creature as it flapped it's wings softly and began to set itself back into flight, and away from it's temporary universal companion. As he lifted off, I gave him a silent thank you for showing me a simple thought. That although the show may seem so vast and so amazing, some times the most beautiful of pieces is a small butterfly that is adrift in the wind. Showing me that all, even the quit and subtle parts of this universe deserve our attention.
Life is better then any cinema, and it's special effects or props are far more amazing then we could ever ask for. With us being in control of the parts we want to pause, play, fast forward and even remind in our minds. Life is truly important from the large show we experience each day, to the small pieces that often pass by in the wind before we notice them. Some times when we feel like we are the small creatures that are adrift in the wind, we need to take the time to land and share the show with others, and give them the insight into the detail of the universe. So that their eyes can focus closely on the fine details of these days and then thank them softly as we drift away and join the wind of the universe as it sends us onto the next of life's fine shows.
Why would I post something like this on a Ex-Jw board? Well when we were in the religion, we often spent most of our day looking ahead in time. We looked at the world scene and always found ourselves concerned with moments far out of sight. When we left the religion, and started to learn about our own part of life. We still sometimes kept our eyes to drawn to the larger issues, that we still thought were so important, that we no longer knew how to focus on the things that really matter. We could spend weeks, months, and years concerned about whether this is the last day's signs we were warned about and yet forget to see our child grow and the value of a simple smile. We could forget to see the value in sitting in a garden and preparing the ground to grow new life, and the extreme enjoyment of catching a fish on a early summer day.
So if you are one who still clips out every newspaper article, or who still sits worry about the things that were forced on you to think about. Maybe it is time you look down, there might be a butterfly sitting there for you to enjoy your time with it as well. Don't forget to check, before they all fly away and you realize you are all alone, and missed the small moments in time.
My thought
Dragon
Edited by - kenpodragon on 3 November 2002 2:9:36