Last week while I was driving down a side street in a small town in Indiana I saw something up ahead on the sidewalk that I could not figure out. It was sky blue, topped with a shiny silvery dome. And it was moving very slowly. As I neared the object and it became clear what I was seeing, I began laughing out loud. I actually felt a flutter of joy and was blessed with a moment of connection to the great Mystery that is the universe.
The object was a small older woman, shuffling down the walk in an ankle length fluffy blue robe. Her back was slightly bent, and she was using a cane to aid her progress. On her head was a sparkly silver baseball cap, which pushed down a wild white cloud of hair that circled her head like a ring of cotton candy. I slowed the car and drove past my new friend, waving at her. “I love this lady,” I said aloud. “She’s made my day.” And she made my week, even my whole month. I don’t believe I will ever forget her.
Over the years I have had other such experiences where in a moment I feel connected to the great mystery, and feel so happy that I find myself laughing out loud or smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Here’s my list, which I hope will continue to grow as I stay open and aware of the world around me.
• The little goat with floppy ears, crying like a baby at the fence where I stood, while his siblings frolicked in the pen around him.
• Seeing an albino squirrel running in front of my car and up a tree on my lunch break
• Contemplating a metallic shiny green beetle crawling on my porch rail
• Spotting a young colt in a field of cows, dancing around and nipping at one bovine trying to get her to play with him. I stopped my car and watched as the colt picked up a metal bucket and flipped it over his head. I hated to leave the scene, but I had to get to work on that beautiful summer morning. I laughed all the way there.
• Another morning on the same road, I watched a herd of heifers trotting after a runaway round bail of straw as it rolled down hill into the creek bed.
• And there was the day I was walking my two dogs past a neighbors yard, only to stop to watch the spectacle of three little dogs tethered together on one lead running back and forth across the yard in a big semi circle. Each time the lead dog, who was the largest, came to the end of his rope, he did an about face, heading back in the other direction, sweeping the smallest dog, a Chihuahua, off his feet as he was forced to scramble to keep up with his companions.
So I hope this post brings a smile to your face and please remember to see the mystery all around you.
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