Ladybug Dance

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        “Mom, are you up to going and seeing Paul? He is having a tough day. He could sure use a visit from you.”

Any other day, and I would have gone and visited Paul, but today I was exhausted. It was payday, and after paying bills and shopping I was done.

        “Would it be okay if I visited him tomorrow or Sunday? I need some time to recoup.”

        “No problem mom. I am sure he will understand. Tomorrow will work fine.”

Paul, an elderly neighbor, lost his wife a few days earlier and was struggling with the quietness of their home. Not only was he struggling with the quietness, he was also faced with the task of dealing with all the tasks, like the finances, his wife had dealt with, tasks he is ill-equipped to deal with. I decided I would visit him the following morning.

Before I headed down to see Paul I was sitting on my front deck, drinking a cup of coffee and enjoying the early morning air. There was a herd of deer in the field across the road, as well as a flock of wild turkeys. As I sat there, soaking up the quiet, and watching the dogs in the yard, a ladybug landed on my shoulder. It flipped its wings and turned a complete circle several times. It looked like it was performing a dance on my shoulder. It danced for a several minutes, and then flew off.

I watched him/her flutter away and thought about how life is like that Ladybug. We are all given a short amount of time on this earth, to do our dance, and to do it well, and then we leave.

In the last few months there have been 4 elderly friends that have passed away. I know it is easy to think of individual mortality during times like these. Emotions tend to run high, but they really do not have to, because death is part of the life process. We all are going to die at some point.

Death should be part of life. Not the depressing part, but rather the knowledge that we all will die should motivate us to live life to the fullest every day. We never know when life ends, so why not make the most of today. Why not dance without restraints?

I know this is a subject most people do not want to address. Denial is a powerful tool, but so is being realistic. There is a quote by one of my favorite authors Maya Angelou that I love, and I think applies to this subject.

        “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

As I enter into the month of November, and I see the posts of friends and family on a social media site I visit, about what they are thankful for, it causes me to stop and think. What am I thankful for? Are those around me thankful I am in their lives? Do they feel better after interacting with me? Everyday I have the opportunity to shower those around me with love. Hopefully when they leave my presence they feel special and loved. It only takes a few minutes and a small amount of time.

Is there someone in your life you can spend time with today, someone who needs to feel loved? If so, take the time. Tomorrow may not come. Maybe your smile or a kind word can give them the courage and the strength to keep pressing on.

I have a quick question. Have you done your ladybug dance for the day? If not, get to it. Dance your heart away, and enjoy every moment of that dance.