a bug's life

So, the blue light blocking glasses arrived and the experiment that I talked about in "Screen Time Down TIme" will begin. Maybe by wearing these I will scare the cockroaches away!.

In 1998, Pixar released the delightful animation, "A Bug's Life". It is the story of Flik, an ant in search of finding better ways to be a bug. Of course Flik, stuffs up big time. As with any Pixar film there are philosophical gems in there and advice on how to live life.

Fly: "I've only got twenty four hours to live and ain't gonna waste it here." ... a lesson in making most of the time your have, which is this moment now!

Hopper: "The first rule of leadership. Everything is your fault". ... a lesson in responsibility.

One of the amazing things we can take from the world of bugs and insects is the concept of Metamorphisis. What a beautiful sounding word that is! It is a robust word, and to me, strikes the right balance between hard and soft syllables. In the insect world, metamorphisis is the process of significant physical change. How often do we truly see the butterfly inside of the caterpillar, when we have to deal with the caterpillar munching on our garden? The change can be sudden, abrupt and dramatic; or it can be far more gradual. I think, in a spiritual, emotional and mental sense we are all in a constant state of metamorphisis - and therein lies the amazement of life's journey. The flip side of metamorphisis is that once the transformative change takes place, it is no longer possible to revert back to the caterpillar.

The book here is another of my favourite go-to books "Living in Balance" which also happens to be published in 1998 and written by Joel & Michelle Levey. In recent months, I have found the following passages particularly useful as I set about my days, with each morning taking a meditative moment to create and write an intention for the day:

"As you read each of these four questions, pause to reflect and honestly answer each one:

1. Are you happy living how you are living and doing what you are doing?

2. Is what you are doing adding to the confusion?

3. What are you doing to further peace and contentment in your own life and in the world?

4. How will you be remembered after you are gone — either in absence or in death?

If you are happy doing what you are doing, what brings you the greatest joy? What is your next frontier for satisfaction and fulfillment? If you aren't happy living the way you are living, is balance to be found in changing what you are doing, or in changing your mindset or attitude toward what you are doing?

If you find that what you are doing is actually adding to the confusion and creating more problems or imbalances in your life, say 'Whoa,' and ask yourself, 'What is driving me to act in these ways?' Often, the forces that drive us into self-defeating or destructive ways of living are unconscious to us. When we are able to look and listen deeply into our hearts and minds, and to look squarely into the eyes of our own 'inner enemies,' we are better able to shine the light of our compassion, forgiveness, or wisdom into these aspects of ourselves in order to heal our wounds, and restore our balance."

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Flying Solo Tip 039365 : Once the caterpillar has grown wings, he can no longer revert back to being caterpillar and reject his inner essence. By the laws of nature, he must liberate the butterfly within.

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