Life’s ‘Littlest’ Lesson Learned from big FEETS

On a recent walk, I happened to focus on, and instantly become mesmerized by, my big battleship feet – the Monitor and the Merrimack as my Dad once christened them. Yep those tootsies have rolled off quite a lot of miles over the years hauling my gristle and girth through both the thick, thin & sin in-between. When it comes to your seemingly insignificant, yet admirable, body parts, sometimes you have to just give thanks and stop to smell the roses. Because at least those petals smell a bit better than my pedal-bound Buster Browns and surprisingly you might just learn a valuable though TINY lesson. 

Beyond the horizon here and near to my ‘Horton-sized’ hooves, I also looked lower still to a world down under my ‘skis’ to a far tinier speck of an ant crawling toward me. Now I wonder what that pinhead-sized flea brain was thinking as Mr. fancy antsy-pants piqued my curiosity. Was my Formicidae friend jealous since I’m so tall? After all wouldn’t I be if I were so tiny yet dare parade around beneath a pair of giant city-sized feet with a pointy head akin to that of the ‘Burg Kalifa’s’ (except that I sway more in the wind)?

Well obviously my feet didn’t seem to render respect from the ant since he refused to stop his advance or pay much mind to me at all. Gee, I took the time to notice him, you would think that he could at least return the favor if for no other reason than to be polite? I swayed my arms violently overhead to interrupt the sun’s rays and bathe my aloof six-legged leaf-eater in shadow, but he continued to turn a blind compound eye and ignore me.   

  

Now this won’t do at all because I’m the important one here – or at least to this insolent insect I SHOULD be.  I’m really big, take up lots of space, and can do magical feats like jump up and down spasmodically trying to render envy from an adamant ant. My immense power can focus the sun’s energy with a tilt of my ‘cheaters’ to flush bugs with warmth, cover them in shadow, or  simply ‘end’ life with a thoughtless tippity tap dance between tarsus and toe. 

So why then did such a meaningless and miniscule creature catch my eye at all? Because this tiny ant was single-handedly dragging a handsome bird feather, ten times his mass and a hundred fold his size presumably back to his colony, for what purpose I’ll never know. He didn’t care who you were, what ‘might’ happen around every dark corner, or second guess his every move. He wasn’t influenced by what the other ants were carrying or that their burden was different, more, or less than his own, he simply stayed focused and kept moving that downy quill up the hill. See I told you that you can learn a lot from life’s LITTLEST lessons!