The Miss Elaine-ous Life

random acts of life, family and photos

Another living thing…

by

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be another living thing.

Like a tree where the birds nest, and the squirrels use for their climbing post and source of food.  An umbrella protecting them from the rain, as it watches the world around it and holds the big job of keeping us supplied with breathable air.

Or perhaps a pumpkin, that in this season, will have its guts and seeds dug out and become a face, ready to scare or delight on All Hallow’s eve.

What would it be like to be an apple or pear or peach, plucked from the only home it’s ever known and thrown into a box with many like it?  Then riding on a train for miles and miles only to end up being snatched up by my fingers in the grocery store and then chomped on by my kids’ little teeth.

Or what about a flowering annual that knows beauty for just a few short months and then in the winter freezes, only to be dug up and replaced by a new one in the Spring?

What of the “love bugs” that fly around me at the soccer field, attached to each other like glue, that later find their demise on my windshield?  How long did they live?  What is their purpose in this great big world?

And I even think about what it would be like to be a baby, born just minutes ago.  What if we could remember that?  What would it be like to be taking in the earthly air for the very first time, feeding on your mother’s bosom and finally looking into the face of the voice you heard for so many months?

Sometimes I think about these things.

Do you?

Comments

  1. I don’t know that I think of being other critters or things, but I do often think about what it was like for different peoples living in different times. I drive through the hills and think a hundred years ago, people were walking through these hills to different food sources versus driving cars to pick a kidlet up from school, to see the countryside, to run an errand. Really enjoyed your perspective! :>

  5. Interesting thoughts. It would be fun to experience life as a ladybug or a butterfly for a couple hours but something like a pumpkin that will get cut up I don’t think I would want to be.

  6. I have thought about what it would be like to be an animal or butterfly before. I wonder what they go through and what it feels like. Everything has its’ story I guess!

  7. I definitely wonder what it would be like to be a baby, learning everything for the first time. I would love to be in their heads, experiencing life like that.

  8. I do, sometimes. Your examples were interesting though, all so beautiful and transient and sad.

    Except for the baby, of course; you ended with hope. Did you do that on purpose?

    But anyway, this was lovely!

  9. I so get you. It’s why I carry spiders outside. Odd fact though, isn’t it, after I went all Rambo on the house-invading geckos?

    Love-bugs? You got me. Up there on the pointless meter with mosquitoes. Maybe to gin up car wash business?

  10. I always try to look at things from all perspectives. It can cause some comical and intriguing thoughts! As for love bugs, I believe they were “created” to be an answer to the mosquito problem. The only problem was, they got out of control and they have no interest in controlling the mosquito problem. They, literally, have no purpose other than to fly around with their butts attached. THERE’S something to think about!

  11. I’ll admit that I often think about many things that I feel are completely out of the ordinary…

    While it’s hard to understand the purpose of (sometimes) seemingly pointless creatures, it’s amazing to know that they serve a purpose in this world and it’s for the better of something, somewhere.

    Beautiful words!

  12. Ooh, lovely. I do. But normally, I think about what it would be like to be another person. To have their experiences, knowledge, fears and concerns. What drives them?

    Such a thoughtful post.