One Shot
/Seventeen years ago as a new home owner I was learning what it meant to take care of a new property. There were all the normal things to do like painting rooms, caulking cracks, plumbing, new landscaping, and a larger yard for cutting the grass. I was “king” of my domain until I was invaded by a petulance that I didn’t expect. The dreaded cicada. If you don’t know, the cicada is a large six legged winged insect that lies dormant underground until warm weather hits. In my back yard there are three large trees and unknown to me at that time, a cicada breading ground surrounded all three. They do come out every summer but during a seventeen year cycle there is what is called the brood which is the mother load of cicada birthing.
What I learned recently was that nearly 272 years ago, in 1749, a young free black man named Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) of Maryland witnessed a different crowd of cicadas throng and that they would “sing” on his 100-acre homestead. He is credited with with the bug’s life cycle and accurately predict the brood’s return in 1800.
You might think ‘ewe’ or ‘yuck’ because it’s a big bug, but I have found a fondness for these singing insects and have observed a few lessons in just watching them.
While working in the back yard a lone cicada started to crawl up my leg (and it kind of tickled). I picked him off and put him on my hand and whatever direction I pointed my hand the cicada would turn and always try to go up.
The lesson, no matter where life takes you always go forward and stay positive. Keep going up.
There are spots in the back yard that are so heavy with the cicada the ground moves and the little cocoon shells they come out of are laying everywhere. Even attached to the house, plants, and shed.
The lesson, make an impact with your life. Saturate the sphere of influence with the gifts and talents given to you.
Looking out the back windows of my house and into the yard all kinds of birds and other animals come and feast on the thousands of cicada that are there. It’s a natural buffet for all who come and still the cicada thrive in numbers with this against them.
The lesson, you got One Shot. Despite the hardships go and create life that will inspire and strengthen the next generation.
Over the past centuries the brood have come in a timely fashion doing there natural way of things. Going forward and always going up, saturating and making an impact, and creating life for the next generation. What positive wisdom I have been able to gain from this little flying bug. May we all have some of the cicada way of life.
Blessings to you