Coming back from nature’s invitation to walk, there, making his way on the other side of the road was a turtle. No way, with afternoon traffic he would make it across the road. I found the nearest safe spot to pull over and scurried back praying traffic would wait. As I approached his journey had not progressed. And then I laughed. The turtle was not a turtle. My poor eyes had transformed a glove into a turtle. As the traffic magically began to stream down the narrow road I’m sure they wondered about the poorly parked car and the pedestrian walking in the road laughing out loud. As I laughed, I whispered, “well little hobbit, your eyes, yes, are poor, but tis the heart’s seeing that counts.”

As I came in to write of my joyful and laughable experience, from where I sit to type, one of the squirrels that comes to feed lay quite dead in the street. My heart sighed. Yes little hobbit, tis the heart’s seeing that counts. I went out and offered a corn meal blessing for what remained of the squirrel. A blessing others’ eyes would be attentive and risk seeing a glove as a turtle. That the sky and all life could then be filled with the laughter. But tis, truly, the cycle of life. Seeing the glove again, though my heart is sad, still makes me laugh. Namaste sweet Life.