I was almost home after a long day of volunteering at the farm. As I passed a neighbor’s house, a small movement caught my eye. A small brown spider was just starting a new web. I don’t know how long I stood there watching — it must have been at least 30-45 minutes. All of a sudden, I was in a meditation, watching this creature create something so intricate & delicate yet so simple & strong. My feet & I were still very tired, but the fascination of the moment was far more important.
And when she was done, she went straight to the center of the web and was still. Waiting for the web to do it’s job. Allowing time for the incredible amount of work that she had put in to pay off.
Stopping to watch the web creation felt like a luxury, but it also felt incredibly necessary. In this world in which busy-ness is often praised, in which one is often expected to be “plugged in” all the time, I can’t forget the value of the pause. And the pause is becoming more and more necessary to me. Do my job, yes. And then allow a pause to take in the world. Allow my work to pay off.
