Life is Like a Spider Web

Forest Gump was famous for his Mama saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get." That's true in many ways, but I also think life is like a spider web. You never know when you will run into it. Spider webs tend to show up in your path unexpectedly. You go out the back door, hurrying to the car, and run into a face full of invisible spider web. Although you brush and rub at it, there is still one little thread tickling your face that you can't find. You think you are in control of your life, but webs happen, no matter how much you plan. Spiders build them that way to catch the unwary bug, or hiker. And you don't know what other creatures will be caught in the web that catches you. Of course, the spider can't make breakfast of a hiker, but you will certainly know you have crossed paths. So what if a blundering person knocks down a whole night's work? The spider doesn't give up. She just starts spinning again. Life is telling us, don't be so full of yourself. There are lots of things going on all the time that you could learn from. There are people and activities you should get involved with. Just look around.

When you finally slow down enough to look at them, spider webs are amazingly beautiful and intricate. Almost invisible in regular light, when bejeweled with morning dew, they out sparkle diamonds. One spider builds only the minimum of strands, while another weaves a tight net. Is this determined by the species? One long strand can stretch across great distances... well, to a spider they must be great. Certainly they are much longer than the spider herself. Does a young spider spinning its first web tremble in fear at the leap required to fasten that first strand across the emptiness? Does the older spider want to downsize, now that she is facing retirement? Can I have the courage and determination of the spider when something knocks me down, again?

Focusing a camera on a spider web takes a lot of concentration. The photographer moves around, trying to catch the light shining off the dew in just the right way. The rest of your group may call, "Come on already." Be careful though. Watch the web so you don't knock it down in trying to preserve its beauty for ever. I have lots of pictures that did not focus on the web successfully, but either before it or behind it. Life is like that. It's hard to know what is important and where to spend your efforts. Knowing full well that in a while, it probably won't make a difference anyway. After all, life is just a spider web.