JOYFUL PIECE #54

Learning from the cicada...

Image by the author, courtesy of Mother Nature.

Success in nature depends on adapting to circumstances. This past weekend and even into this week, we find ourselves with momentous events in our political life.

The two main U S parties continue to assail each other.

We can learn from nature and how it allows for growth. Consider the cicada. It grows to a point and realizes that it must shed its skin to grow further. Snakes and other creatures do the same. If they remain within their built-in outer armor their growth is stifled, their internal organs fail to function, in short, they die.

We have two parties in deep gerontocracy. They will not shed their armors, their skins, the aging leadership, their old ways. And that refusal to accept today’s circumstances and adapt may well lead them to defeat— one in November and the other one surely in a future election cycle.

Even though I previously wrote about forgetting to be cognizant of the signs of aging in myself, I again overdid some physical activity and now my upper back screams for attention. I will be investing some time in soothing it. I am very stiff and crave letting go in loose, uninhibited dancing.

At this time, we can swim in darkness or pause to assess. Right now, I dream of looseness and dance. For inexplicable reasons dancing brings joy. Take a break and dance an exuberant dance— tangos and waltzes and foxtrots are too restrictive. An unstructured free-dance session that engages every muscle and joint will unwind us. And following the shedding of our old skin and armor, and ways, we can calmly assess the next steps to take, seek new possibilities, gather room for growth, and look forward to a bright future. Try this dance and experience pure JOY.

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