A few blocks down from our house, there’s a bush covered in pretty yellow flowers that runs along the sidewalk for a ways. I’ve noticed that for the bees, this is a real hot spot. Each day as we pass by this location, my little dog Hudson sniffs along the bush’s lower edges – no doubt gaining all sorts of valuable information about what’s going on in our neighborhood – and I stand, watching the bees.
I often count at least 20 before I lose track. Each one is intent and focused, spending ample time on one flower before it moves to the next. And it occurs to me that this bush is like a tiny universe – a little world with all its constituents, comings and goings, patterns, rhythms, and everything else.
Our world is full of tiny universes like this, isn’t it? The daily happenings within a large oak tree. The dynamic within a family’s household over the years. The culture and relationships within the walls of a small mom-and-pop shop. Even the stories, imaginings, love, fear, pleasure, and pain that happen within each of our own minds throughout our lifetime.
This world is a wonder!
So the next time you find yourself lost in thought over a trivial kerfuffle at the grocery store or worrying about a problem that hasn’t even happened yet, remember that you exist in a vast and expansive universe full of tiny universes – one of which is you.
It may help you to keep things in perspective ❤️
