I was hiking with a client when something unexpected happened.
A cicada landed on me.
My immediate reaction—
"Get off!"
A little while later, a ladybug landed on me.
This time…
I smiled.
"You can stay."
It made me pause.
Neither insect had done anything to me.
One was welcome.
One wasn't.
The only difference was my perception.
I started thinking about Costa Rica.
One of my favorite sounds there is the rhythmic chorus of cicadas.
Their chorus fills the jungle throughout the day.
If you stop long enough to really listen, they become meditative.
I love them.
So why did I want one off my body the moment it touched me?
It made me wonder…
How often do we do this in our own lives?
Feelings arrive and we immediately try to get rid of them.
Anxiety.
Grief.
Anger.
Fear.
Others, we invite in.
Joy.
Peace.
Love.
Excitement.
Why do we label some as good…
and others as bad?
What if the feelings we push away are no different than the cicada?
What if they're simply trying to get our attention?
Not everything that makes us uncomfortable is negative.
Curiosity creates more space than judgment.
Maybe, before we brush it away, we can pause long enough to listen.
