Birthday Beaches

Today is my birthday! It's one of 'those' birthdays... a milestone and a 'biggie,' at least as far as I'm concerned!! I'm at the ocean for a few days to relax and rejuvinate. :)

As I walked on the beach today, I had an interesting encounter.

I have always loved lady bugs. Ever since I was a child, I had a special spot in my heart for them.

Today, as I walked on the beach I spotted a tiny lady bug stuck on it's back in the sand. It was coated with wet sand and salt water. I'm not sure quite how I was able to see it, but once I did, my instincts to save the little creature went into effect!

I flipped the bug over onto it's feet. I put him on a large clam shell I was carrying. He was not doing well for awhile. Then he started 'doing laps' around the edge of the clam shell. As he walked, more sand fell off of him. He looked a little better!

As he continued to do laps, I protected him from gusts of wind that might have knocked him off the shell and back into the wet sand.

He moved more quickly as time went by.

He still had a lot of salt water and sand on him and I worried that it might make it impossible for him to fly.

I got to a fresh water stream, dipped my hands in, and dripped water on him to wash off the sand and salt. He seemed to move even better!

I took him to a bench and set him on it. He walked around and seemed to be looking (and feeling, if I dare say) better! I had to leave him there and return to my lodge. I hoped that he would be ok.

It was another reminder to me of how life can affect us at times. This poor creature was stuck, upside down, coated with sand and salt water. He couldn't right himself. He was doomed.

Sometimes we feel as though was are so stuck, upside down, coated in crud, that we will never get out!

I happened along and helped this lady bug. Often times, we are helped by people and circumstsances that we couldn't possibly expect! A kind word, a smile, or some act more substantial, sets our feet on a different path. A kind stranger, or a good friend, might wash the salt and sand from our eyes so that we can see clearly again. A loved one or professional helper might free us from the muck and mire that paralyzes us and keeps us from flying. Sometimes, we provide that service to others around us. It's part of the dance of life!

Whether you are the bug on it's back (waving it's feet in the air) or the one who happens upon a stuck soul... realize that the process of life is ever changing. If you're the bug... believe that something is there to help you! If you're the person who sees the struggling bug, do what you can to put the bug on it's feet again, then release it to its destiny!