I watched a pill bug cross the patio this morning.
Up and down, across the breaks between bricks, his little army of feet waving rhythmically as he journeyed forward.
Exposed to the bright sun, shining like a silver dot against the red brick.
All he knew was forward.
He wasn’t set on winning any speed records, he was just moving at his natural pace.
As I was watching him quietly, I heard the familiar buzz of a hummingbird coming to feed and turned my attention to her for a bit. And when I turned back a moment or two later, it took some looking for me to find my pill bug friend again.
It was surprising to see how much ground he had covered by simply continuing to move forward, even slowly.
As he made his path from the garden toward the shady fence, it occurred to me that his journey is not unlike yours and mine.
We have our ups and downs, we are seeking the comfortable destination we will know mostly by feel. Sometimes we feel exposed and vulnerable and want to hide or stop. But there’s something inside us which compels us to move forward. A quiet voice inside that encourages us to do the hard things that are necessary, and the things that make us uncomfortable on our way to true expression. It’s the voice that inspires us to mount our obstacles in order to move steadily forward.
That voice doesn’t require us to dash and sprint. It merely asks us to continue at a pace suitable to our daily nature (which varies), and to have some perseverance and stick-to-it-tiveness when the path seems impassible.
I would urge you to take a few minutes to listen again today to that voice that started you on this journey; the one that wants to break free and sing its song to the world through you. Deeply listen, and then take another step forward.