Fishing with spider silk

Greetings y'all :

So how was your day yesterday? Did you offer any random acts of kindness ? Did you accept any random acts of kindness? Did you seek the beauty in little things? Did the the beauty in little things seek you ?

Me ? I had an unusually take no prisoners, put my boot up life's tuchus , Carpe Diem attitude . Oh I remained civil but, but little meek me , you know the one who shows strength through kindness , remained flexible , strong and unbreakable. Imagine if you will ( yes my homage to The Twilight Zone) a strong oak in a storm - it can snap . Compare that to a flexible and strong willow. Every body knows steel is strong but who knows that spider silk is actually stronger ?

So come get caught in my web of love , kindness, flexibility and strength. If my web is torn asunder I merely rebuild it. I repair it nightly. I call it mindful reflection , open and honest assessment of my life, my day, my choices.

Hold Ken- isn't this here blog about parenting you so called quirky and exuberant man cub? We all know he's ADHD and you're in denial. He's probably just a bad kid with a bad parent, so get over yourself.

Ok thanks for the interjection! You're right this is about me and my shadow. So watch this seque if I may return to my posting.

In reflecting over the chart of our last few weeks I realized I let rocky shoals deter me from bringing my progeny into a safe harbor. I fought the barrier, railed and tilted against the proverbial windmills rather than charting a course around unmovable obstacles. I almost ran us ashore and wrecked us by letting emotion take the helm.

Yesterday morn I awoke with a fire in my belly to keep us afloat , to follow the brilliant frenzel lens of the light house showing us more courses to reach our destination. I remembered to take the helm and calmly look for solutions and know life is not a straight line. By being the captain again I allowed my first mate to feel relaxed and comfortable. Steady as she goes ....

Ok boat analogy out of the way , but didn't you begin this blog yammering about willows and spider webs ? Yep - wow you are quite astute and inquisitive today ( and perhaps a tad impatient weed hopper) So here goes ....

I love me some willows! I am man enough to admit I find comfort in the long fingered branches that reach down to tickle us. The move with the wind and don't fight it. Watch a weeping willow dance in a hurricane or t storm and then tell me you aren't touched by its grace under pressure. Spider webs? They are so strong the US navy is working on a way to use them to replace the steel catch cables on air craft carriers. They to sway in storms and if torn are readily replaced. Who here has the ability or fortitude to rebuild nightly? But spider webs are also sticky. They catch everything and the spider does housework to maintain the webs integrity. Kinda like our minds- purge the negative thoughts folks.

In, I believe, New Guinea there is dying tradition. Only a few elders know how to do this successfully. They collect the silk from a certain spider and wind it in such a way as to create a ball. This is then attached to a home made kite and string. They then get in their dug out canoe and paddle out into the sea. The kite is sailed and the ball of silk is left dancing across or rather just below the surface. They actually catch fish with out a hook with this method- the silk is strong and sticky therefore once the fish bites onto it is caught. Like all catches the fish is taken back and shared with the village that evening.

So my challenge to day is to let my child into my web- see the good and embrace the sanity of life , to remain flexible and happy as the willow with a strong trunk. To calmly navigate my child through rocky waters and remember to let him play and explore once we arrive safely ashore.

Thanks for reading about us today!