A spiders web.

While out walking yesterday I watched a spider working on the repair of its web. It worked without stopping repairing the broken strands caused by the unexpected heavy gust of wind.

We see these webs so often and they go unnoticed as we hurry past. In the early hours when there is frost in the air or the touch of summer dew, they sparkle like wondrous works of art capturing the eye.

Such beauty, and yet also the instruments of death for the unsuspecting fly caught in them.

Life is full of traps that beckon us into their lairs. I am sure I need not labour this point we all are aware of the little traps we get caught in. Yesterday I had to keep myself on the go while my mind was telling me to sit down and take a break. I did not listen and carried on with the things I had to do. later in the day when getting ready to meet friends, I fell asleep in the bath. Maybe I should have listened but I was caught up in the lair of, I have too much needing to be done. I had stopped listening to the sage who says, "Stop fretting and all things needing to be done will be done, each in time."

There is a lovely story about spiders. Spiders are usually born on the lower branches of bushes or trees. Some for one reason or another decide to stay right there in the lower branches where, when old enough they leave the web of their parents and move over to another corner and build their own web. There in the safety, they catch the odd fly and have enough on which to live, not fat a full but they get by.

Others decide to climb to the higher branches and build their webs on the exposed branches of the trees and bushes. These are the webs that get torn and battered by wind and rain. They are also the webs that are up there where most of the flies are, so the captures they make are more frequent. In turn, these spiders eat better, are stronger and bigger. 

One day one such spider met a very small young spider on the branch of a bush. The young spider looked at the big one in awe. The large spider asked what the youngster was looking at. “Your size,” said the youngster.  “Ah,” said the large spider.

The large spider went on to explain that some spider chose to stay safe in the dark lower branches while others decided to struggle to the top. At the top the work was hard but the rewards were plenty. 

“So, you see,” said the large spider, “You can look up in jealousy from a place of safety or you can work hard and build castles in the sky.”

It is a bit like life really. You can potter about with the things you feel comfortable with or you can strike out and try things new and do things to delight the heart.

Have a great day.