The Speed Of Life

As a shooting star streaks across a night sky, it catches your eye. You may have not seen it right away, or only for a split second, but you did see it as it traveled past at 291,000 miles per hour!

Our lives feel the same way, but often referred to moving at “a million miles an hour”.

Each day I try my best to relax for at least 5 minutes and just enjoy what my eyes are looking at. This is often watching my 4 year old son playing, learning and discovering or simply taking my 5 minutes on my front porch of my little house.

Recently, during my relaxing time I had notice something streak across my front yard in the horizon. It was fast and agile. It swooped and turned. It went up, down and around. The he would turn around and do it again. Each time looking faster and with more activity. Similar to life and our daily routines.

Although what I was seeing in my front yard was not a shooting star, but a beautiful dragonfly. He knew I was watching, because every day he would show me his stuff, doing laps around my yard. Like a race car driver impressing the crowd with his skills at amazing speed and precision. This would go on for weeks and a smile would grow on my face with each sighting.

I didn’t see this dragonfly one day, I’d see him daily. I do not take my relax time at the same time every day, but he was always there when I was. Impressing me every time I watched him gracelessly flying around the air in my front yard like it was his race track.

He was having fun and so was I!

I didn’t see my dragonfly friend when I took my 5 minute relax time yesterday, but maybe he was busy like I always am and we simply missed our timing.

Later in the evening, I extended my relax time and enjoyed a couple hours of chasing my son around the yard as he raced around on his battery powered 4-wheeler. It was starting to get dark and time to call it a night.

As my son and I walked into our garage, only feet away from the dragonfly race track, I noticed a dark object near the back corner on the floor. As we approached, I could see my four winged friend I missed earlier in the day. His legs were moving, so I knew he was alive but he didn’t try to fly away.

He appeared almost tired and didn’t move much when I neared him. I felt I had to help in some way. He needed to be by his race track, in his environment and not in the back corner of my garage.

As I stooped down to pick him up, he was okay with it and I did gently. I couldn’t decide where to put him because the last thing I wanted to do was put him in danger.  I finally thought of the place, the place I enjoyed watching him so much. On the porch seat!

When I awoke this morning, I had to go check on my friend to make sure he was okay. As I approach, my little friend was still in place. A peaceful place I enjoyed watching him so much.

He was there for me and I was there for him at the end. I would like to think that we both helped each other learn some things along the way. Life is fast, it has its ups and down but there are always people there to help you out. We live in an exciting and fast paced world and it’s important to enjoy everyday while taking some time to relax and help others even though you may not know it.