I stepped outside a couple weeks ago and saw what I thought was a piece of grass in our outdoor kitty's water bowl. Even though I was rushing (as I always am, it seems, during the month of May) I stopped to look closer. It wasn't a leaf... it was a tiny inchworm, who had climbed up to get a drink.
I squatted down like a toddler and just watched. His body was on the rim, and his head was down inside the bowl. Perhaps sensing my presence, he stopped drinking, and made his way around the bowl (and around, and around, but that's another blog entry all about finding your way...).
Life goes by so fast that sometimes it seems impossible to slow down and appreicate the little things. In my case, it was truly a little thing... an insect so small that if I had not glanced over at just the right moment, I never would have noticed. How often do I neglect to listen, or look, or just take a moment to appreciate?
Andy Bernard said on The Office finale, "I wish there was a way to know you were in the 'good old days' before you've even left them." And he's right - the busy-ness of life can make those "good old days" go by in a flash. But school's out, summer is finally here, and I am slowing down to enjoy the experiences that life brings... both big and small.
