Charlotte (The Sequel)

 I recently wrote of our new neighbor, Charlotte, who built her web on the outside of our kitchen window.

I once watched a spider build its web and I was captivated by its natural born ability to create such a structure, seemingly in thin air, as it spun its web from one solid surface to another. Then it created the web itself after the foundation was in place.

When Charlotte's web first appeared outside our kitchen window, I was pleased to know it was outdoors and grateful for this miracle of nature to be placed right in my line of sight. 

Charlotte's web was a small pleasure nestled among the many daily requirements of living. When a friend called to talk with me on a serious matter within her life, she stopped at one point to ask me how I was doing. I had nothing to say that was of any importance and due to the weightiness of the burdens she was carrying, I simply told her about "Charlotte".

A lighthearted, easy to tell tale about a spider and its web was an ideal topic to focus on as life continues to go on all around us.

Nature.

When the world feels heavy and you have no idea where to turn. Look up. Look out. Focus on the sky, a bird, a flower or an industrious little insect. Lose yourself in a small moment. Marvel at the way life goes on without human intervention each and every day. 

So much is out of control within this world of ours. If we could think of our troubles as something that could be lifted off our shoulders and float into the weightlessness of the sky above us and let go of that which we cannot control, it could help us through our darkest moments.

My friend laughed when I told her about Charlotte. A light moment within a deep conversation. When I confessed that I was just a tad concerned that Charlotte may be staking out our home for a safe place to weather the winter, she told me she would have gotten rid of Charlotte and her web immediately. I questioned my sanity for a moment then went on to live another day.

The next morning, I looked out the kitchen window and Charlotte and her web were gone without a trace. We had high winds and some rain that must have dislodged Charlotte from her precarious home built upon our kitchen window structure. Charlotte has moved on. Either that, or she has moved in with us.

Live and let go. Easier said than done. Charlotte and her web provided a welcome diversion for the time she was our close neighbor. 

Watch for the gifts of nature. Lose yourself in a moment. When the moment is gone, just be glad for the time you took to enjoy it.

No matter how heavy or light your world may feel, look up and look outside. It may not help but it couldn't hurt, could it?