All Paths to Peace Are A Little Dangerous

---

ALL PATHS TO PEACE ARE A LITTLE DANGEROUS

I stopped dead in my tracks when I noticed a wasp on the glass door I was about to open. A cold chill sped up my spine, my body straighten and my eyes widened. My mind shrieked, “OH MY GOD!” but I never uttered a sound. I stood frozen, with not even the slightest breath escaping from my lungs. I was terrified. My mind went blank and yet a shrilled voice in my head shouted, “RUN!?! Get the spray and kill it!!
 
I paused for a moment and I wondered, was this thing actually outside the glass door? I walked slowly over to the glass door, standing in front of my own reflection, a voyeur now to the wasp. As I got close enough, I saw that this dangerous creature was trapped between two panes of glass. It moved frantically around, seemingly, trying to figure out how to escape. It was fidgeting about and darting in crazy, zig-zagged patterns perhaps, trying to decide what to do? I didn’t really know but it reminded me of what we all do when panic strikes. When that sense of fear rises up, bubbling over our bodies, we move frantically, we fidget about and try to figure how to escape. We act mindlessly sometimes, yet, strategically to regain some level of comfort. It’s times like that, we just can’t find stillness. We move in a desperate declaration for relief! It becomes a driving force and focus, we need to get out of the situation, address it, and quickly decide the next steps.
 
Panic sets in and we become a prisoner to its hold.
 
I stood in front of the glass door, looking at the wasp and thought, “This guy refuses to be stuck.”  I recalled how I’ve been in situations just like it, being stuck between two panes of glass, metaphorically of course, but non-the-less I’ve been there. I’ve felt that same sense of crippling fear and with that realization, I was no longer afraid of the wasp itself. Now, I was only interested in trying to help find its way out. The wasp and I got to work right away! The sun sparked and reflected beams of light off the glass door. It was as if some insight was streaming from the heavens. I got closer and the wasp continued its pace, scurrying back and forth, trapped inside the glass. My eyes squinted slightly and quickly began shifting from side-to-side. The scene was moving rapidly now, the wasp, pacing back and forth and my eyes, shifting. It was like both our brains were calculating perimeters and plotting escape routes. I was trying to figure out how the wasp got inside and where could the way out be? I found some crevasses and saw some possibilities but escape was to no avail. I thought, maybe it got in there from the outside? I stepped outside and looked at the door from another angle. Then after some time and investigation, I saw the entrance! It was obvious but this little wasp was spending too much time in the wrong places to even notice. I tapped gently on the glass in hopes the wasp might feel the vibration and follow the sound maybe, even, see the opening and set itself free. I persisted; tap, tap, tapping, with the tip of my finger and with a little consistency, the wasp eventually began to follow the sound across the glass. However, every time it got halfway, it turned around and went over the same places it had already gone a million times before. This wasp was starting to frustrate me! I kept tapping and tapping to show it the way and it kept repeating and repeating the same pattern, that obviously didn’t serve any real purpose!
 
I continued in the same for about 5 minutes. I never screamed, ran away, or killed it. I stopped tapping gently to get its attention and I never took apart the panes of glass to set it free. I realized, it was the path the wasp chose for itself and who was I to come along and show it the way or even do the work for it? This time, I stood in front of the glass door not frozen in fear but suspended in enlightenment. I stepped aside with resolve and watched the wasp eventually find its own path to freedom and fly off to live out the rest of its life. I walked away with peace in my heart because I understood that all creatures deserve to be left alone to find their own way. To walk their own path and live their own lives even, the ones we fear or perceive as dangerous.​

Love,
Jennifer
Gentle Touch Healing
Inner Beauty Blog, 11.2014