THE DISNEY LIFE
I read an article the other day that stated bumblebees were disappearing. I know where they are. They are in my yard.
No, I’m not kidding. I have bumblebees all over the place and I love watching them. Their big fat bodies, that are technically and scientifically incapable of flying, just be-bop from flower to flower in my flower gardens, and around my roses.
I sometimes think I’m living in a Disney cartoon. If you ever saw the movie, “9-to-5” with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton, you will remember the scene where they day-dreamed how they were going to take out their evil boss. Lily Tomlin’s dream portrayed her as a red-riding hood type character, frolicking with cartoon birds, bees, flowers, and butterflies. Now while she was planning to poison her boss, the point I want to make is that her day dream is what I feel like I’m dreaming.
No, no, no. I don’t mean I want to poison an evil anyone – I mean the cartoon-like perfect world. I feel like I live in a Disney world because of all the animals, birds, butterflies, bumblebees, and frogs that have infiltrated my life.
Case in point. My laundry room has a sliding glass door on one end. I was walking away from the washer and happened to glance down to see that a squirrel that had come up to the door. He was standing up on its hind-legs, looking inside. I froze just to see what he was doing. He meandered up and down the door, as if I as supposed to open it for him to let him in, then he wandered off back out to the squirrel tree with all the other squirrels. Bold thing!
I have hummingbirds galore, and many, many quail, song birds, blackbirds, red birds, yellow birds, blue birds, blue jays, finches, butterflies, etc., etc., etc., and those squirrels. They are EVERYWHERE. I already told you about the bossy birds I feed that remind me the feeders are empty. I have bossy hummingbirds, too. Don’t think they won’t get confident enough to let you know the feeder is empty. They dive-bomb my head if I’m outside and if I look, sure enough, the feeder is always empty when they do that.
I am a former city-slicker so all these things fascinate me. I love watching the squirrels and jaybirds fight for ownership of the pecan tree. I love watching the jays chase the squirrels across and out of the yard then watch the squirrels sneak back to the tree. There is something so peaceful in watching the many butterflies fluttering around the gardens and zipping away when I water the outdoor flower pots.
Most of all, I love that I have learned to SLOW down my life and take time to enjoy these things. I never noticed them or had time for them before so it is a wonder and a blessing to have them in my life.
There is a reason that saying came about, to “take the time to smell the roses.” Life can pass you by so swiftly, you don’t even enjoy it. Things get in the way or you work so many hours, you just don’t appreciate the valuable and precious things in life.
Follow your JOY. Stop and look at the world around you and notice something beautiful in it. It’s worth it.
