Step Lightly (Originally titled "Stepping on Snails" in 2012)

Lately, I am aware of the small lives around me: butterflies, dragonflies, spiders and most profoundly, snails.  Unlike the creatures that fly, I often forget that there is life on the ground; simple, quiet life. Sometimes, when I leave the house going to the car or the backyard, I manage to take only a few steps before hearing an ominous sound… crunch. In that moment, I realize that I've stepped on a snail. A small life ended. I ask forgiveness and pray its next life includes a harder shell. 

I forget about the small lives on the ground because my mind is on where I’m going, not where I am, although try explaining that to the snail.  

I realize how easy it is to be where you’re going and not where you are. Have you ever looked around the house and realized that there are objects that haven’t moved in ages? Moving things to dust doesn't count, by the way. I’m thinking about the found button on the counter, the blender, the jewelry you wore throughout the week, taken off and carefully placed on your dresser to become its own little work of art by the end of the week. How often do we navigate through our homes unconscious of what’s around us because we are focused on where we are going, not where we are? Hurry up and get somewhere. Where?

You're asked, “Where are you going?” yet when is the last time someone asked, “Where are you?” 

My thought this week is to be more present; to be aware of where I am and, if I'm not, ask myself that question. Perhaps if I did that more often, if we all did that more often, there would be a lot less ominous crunching in the world. 

Certainly, there would be a lot more snails.
- Linda Lombardo 
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