Miracle of Living

Look at the Miracle of Living 

That’s right. Take away the bee and how do the flowers pollinate. Take away the flowers and guess what—a major link of life is broken.  Little wonder that scientists are looking into the mysterious demise of honey bees.  There’s more at stake than our sweet tooth!

As I took this photo, I got fairly close to the bee itself.  No matter.  It was a work, important work!  I thought to myself, “Well, instead of stinging me for coming into your world, you choose to brighten everyone’s world.”    

That’s the choice we have in a world writ large with terrorism.  Killer bees….    They invade and sting in mass attack.  No provocation.  You are in the wrong place at the wrong time—and you’ve had it.  

Or, I suppose we can be like this bee.  Use our lives to pollinate with goodness.  No random acts—just goodness because it grows, multiplies, and shows others how to do it.  

TS Eliot calls it “the dance at the center of the world, the still point, where there is only the dance.”  Burnt Norton, II   It is the dance of life, the creativity that grows out of goodness.  

Imagine taking a close up picture of our lives.  Have we joined the dance?  Try this one.  Just go out of your way to deliberately be kind. Don’t make it tough.  Just do it!  Let somebody in line, open a door, say “a thank you”—whatever you want.  Even in a contrived act, pay attention to how it effects the other person.  And to how it makes you feel. 

I was coming out of a restaurant the other day.  My mind was elsewhere.  Suddenly, I realize that this young man in his 20’s is holding the door for me, and I am not even close to the door.  It caught me off guard. He did not just hold the door—he looked right at me as I came near the door and held it open. (Many people hold doors but do not look at the other person.)  “Hey, thanks a lot,” I said, but with a raised tone that acknowledged the unusual act.  He smiled and said, “Glad to do it.” There was a connection.  Thought I to myself—Honey Bee alright.   
The miracle of living...