Nature teaching us lessons on life and death.

A quiet maine day, I sat on the deck and enjoyed the quietness and my ability to be still with nature and myself. Out of the corner of my left eye, I spotted something large flying near me. To my surprise, a large dragon fly landed on my left arm below my shoulder. I very slowly turned my head to view this lovely creature. The dragon fly shifted his weight  and balanced on his back legs. He turned to me, and I watched his Japanese face mask. For twenty minutes, we relaxed together. He was more comfortable and relaxed than I was. I was starting to get a cramp in the left side of my neck from straining my back to watch him. He weighted almost nothing. I could feel his tiny feet holding onto my skin. The afternoon sun was very strong, and I had a very good look at his four wings and they glowed yellow in the sun light. I stretched my neck, and he flew off and attached his self to the wooden shingle of the cabin. I was able to go inside, get my camera and take a few shots of him.

We woke up in the fishing cottage to a dead wood thrush on our deck. For almost a week we had enjoyed the flute like sound of this small bird. The wood thrush is rarely seen. But if you are lucky to have a thrust in your neighborhood, you will hear one of nature's sweetest songs.

Nature shows us how beauty is very fragile, how life forms come in all shapes and sizes.  Life comes to us, and then death arrives and takes life away.  Beauty should not die. But, beauty is not for ever. There are many beautiful people I have know who have died. Beauty should not die.  But beauty does die. It is natures way of teaching us. Nature shows us that life can be fragile, and sometimes very short.

It is a roll of the dice. These creatures teach me that each second of each minute of my life is equally as important as the last second of my life. For each second could be my last second. Live life to the fullest nature teaches us. Catch the beauty around you. Enjoy the stillness, laugh often and laugh hard.

You have today, maybe tomorrow. Use it wisely.