Of Snails and other Slow-moving Creatures

bymuhsayy

339 followers

6 years ago

Have you ever wondered if the last snail you saw ever reached its destination? I know. That's a crazy thought, right? What do snails and other slow-moving creatures got to do with us and our day to day problems? Well, a lot actually, believe it or not.

Several days ago, I cheerfully posted a grand fanfare about the start of the final phase of my journey to the new life I've been seeking. I can still hear the cacophony of drums and rattles heralding my most illustrious venture yet. Then, a few days later, WHAM!

My brains shut down and died in their tracks! No warnings, no precognition, no signals, no nothing. There wasn't even a sputter as I had hummed along on my journey. One moment I was cheerily zipping along: the next ..Clunk! It was like dialing a wrong number while trying to reach my brain.

Ring! Ring! Ring!...prrp, prrp,prrp... ".I'm sorry the number you have dialed is not in service. Please hang up and try again". Out of the blue; no warning! My brain had absconded, gone AWOL. I was facing a dreaded BRAIN FREEZE!

At some point during my dilemma, a memory of my first meeting with a house-bearing snail popped into my mind. All around me, the WA community was humming along, taking care of business as usual. ME, I was that snail, slowly inching along with my bags and ambitious dreams fully packed, with no destination in sight.

I remembered being fascinated for hours on end when I first met a house-snail. I wondered how far it intended to go since it was carrying its entire house with it. I remember thinking that it could at least use its house when it got too dark to go any further on its journey each day. At the rate it was moving, how far could it go?

What fascinated me about the snail was the fact that it plowed steadily on, unencumbered by the weight of its entire possessions. Regardless of the obstacles it encountered, it simply traced a path around them and went steadfastly on its way. Its only motivation must have been its dreams and its goal (do creatures have dreams?) of a better life.

During my time of encumbrance, I slowly but restlessly endured the brain freeze, knowing that this period would end at some point. And guess what was my motivation? You're right if you said the snail. That is the first and only time that I wondered if it finished its journey. Now I really would like to know.

Now, I have been writing for many years, and I have little recall of having had the experience of a brain freeze. I had heard about it before, but that happens to others, not ME. Newsflash: it may happen to you, too! If and when it does, think back about house-snails and other slow-moving creatures you have encountered in your life. Do they complete their journeys?

Just off the top of my head, I bet they do, barring any unforeseen accidents. Because of this period in my life, I now have much more respect for that snail and its compatriots. It never let any of the false obstacles I had put in its path deter or defeat it. It had just taken a minute to weigh its options, decide on one and continued with dogged determination to pursue its course.

I recall placing many false obstacles in its path, all within a short space of time, and it had tackled every one in the exact moment it encountered each obstacle. Not before. It had not stopped in its pursuit of its goal. It never turned back, or even considered that option. I, too, must also adopt that feature as I stalk my desired goals and lifestyle.

One characteristic I remember vividly is its consistency in dealing with obstacles in its path. That snail NEVER considered RETREAT in completing its journey. Unlike me, who have children and grandchildren for whom I desire better lives than my own, that snail seemingly had the motivation to overcome whatever obstacles it encountered to complete its journey. I need to strengthen that characteristic in myself as well.

Although I can provide many more lessons I have been taught by that snail and other slow-moving creatures in my life, I shall wrap up with this, which is, to me, the most important of all: BELIEF IN YOURSELF AND YOUR DREAMS! This particular snail may or may not have seen the life it wanted before it had set out on its journey the day we met, but it really had determined to accomplish its goal. It had no doubt that it was going to get to its destination and was able to tolerate every obstacle I put in its path before I tired of the pastime. To me, that's all it was, a pastime. The moment I stopped raising obstacles, it continued on its way undaunted.

The reason I share the events of the past month with you all is because someone of you may be having this experience of the brain freeze and don't know what to do about it. Trust me when I assure you: This too shall pass! The events of the past few days, (yes, it's only been a few days) may have seemed like a lifetime to me and it will to you. It was decidedly unpleasant, but it was worthwhile in the end. Because of it, I was able to be thankful for the little but important lessons our Creator has taught us unknowingly through our contact with other creatures.

I hope that these insights may be helpful for you, too, and you will benefit from these unscripted moments during your self-chosen adventures. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us too. You never know who you may help.