Flying Lessons from a Spider

Dear Friends,

This morning while I was taking my bath I noticed a little feathery spider crawling across my ceiling. I have been watching this spider since last fall. It is a happy living thing and I have become protective of it!

For many months it lived in the corner over my tub. When I first noticed the spider, I thought it was dead. When I started to clear the cobweb; it moved! I was shocked. I had no idea that it was alive. What was it eating?

One evening I started my bathwater and notice it was in the bottom of the tub; I rescued it and put it behind a basket. That brings me to this morning. I had been gone for a week and had forgotten about the spider. Then I look up and see her. I like to think of the spider as a she!

I watched her crawl across the ceiling toward the light over the sink, I saw her fall every few steps. I was standing ready to catch her if she fell into my bath water, but she did not fall very far.

She had built herself a safety net. Every few steps she would anchor her web. Then if she slipped she would only fall a few inches. This was how she could defy gravity. Her web gave her sure footing and security if she did fall.

I pondered this while I was meditating in the tub. What lessons could I learn from watching her?

Build yourself a safety net was the first one I thought of. I do this in lots of ways.

1. I have a $20 bill on my key ring in a capsule.
2. I have a hand bar to help me get out of the tub.
3. I have an emergency kit in my truck.
4. I have friends I can call.
5. I have backup chargers and wifi.
6. I have my keys on a lanyard so they don't get lost.
7. I put my purse in the same place when I get home.
8. I have my routines.

The second lesson that came to mind was her patience. She did not get in a hurry! Each step was slow and steady! So many times we miss out on the fun because we are too rushed to stop and be in the moment. I have enjoyed living in peace for many years. I was in no rush to get out of the tub. The time I spent watching her journey sparked this essay.

The third lesson I saw was to follow your instincts! She already knew how to spin her web. She was true to who she was! She was a spider, doing what spiders do best! Many times we get caught trying to be who everyone else thinks we should be and we don't follow our own path.

Our routines become our safety nets, they allow us to take babysteps to get our homes in order and then they free us to be who we were meant to be.

Are your ready to FLY?

FlyLady

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