How a hurricane can save a life

So this morning as I prepared breakfast and followed my usual morning routine I noticed an ant on my arm. In the past when this has happened I have attempted to take the ant off and place him in an area safe from the cat children-preferably outside. This doesn't always work as ants are very small and my human fingers though dexterous by human standards feel like clumsy lumps of clay when handling an ant and often end up hurting my tiny and fragile friends. I would preferably blow him or her off me outside but I'm not always dressed for the part. This morning was one of those mornings and what I often do in that situation is blow softly on the ant so that he or she might land on a nook in my kitchen counter or other safe area. After doing this the thought struck me that to the ant what I considered to be a merciful...gesture was probably perceived as a hurricane or some other phenomenological attack...I thougt about how what I may perceive as a catastrophe and how these phenomenon could possibly be (unbeknownst to me) a last ditch effort on the part of an intelligence greater than myself (size wise or otherwise) to move me out of the way as a means to prevent or minimize further harm.

Not to say that hurricanes and what we refer to as natural catastrophes don't cause much damage to my human counterparts...but I thought of this further and the similarities of our microcosm expanded. I thought about all the ant genocide that goes on in our modern world where there are products made just to kill ants...the modern stay-at home mom holds in her power the scientifically organized tools of zealous dictators...I thought of all the millions of ants that have died in our new industrial households where ants are the equivalent of filth and disorder and wondered how the industrious ant became the scapegoat for our overindulgence....but I digress...that's another blog.

Mostly I thought about how what I may perceive as a catastrophe may inadvertently be a last minute attempt to keep me out of the way of a greater harm. I bet that ant that survived may not necessarily realize that if I had not blown him off my arm he may have fallen into the cat's breakfast at least in my household. In a different household he or she may have met certain death by poison or squashing. This made me think of all the near misses I may have avoided in my own life and the fact that I don' t and will never know about. Some believe in guardian angels, a higher self that guides us or a powerful god or goddess that protects us...today I was that presence for the ant...I am grateful that I had the opportunity to do so and I am grateful that there is a power that does that for me and the rest of us. Today I am thankful for all the near misses (physical, mental, and spiritual) and imagine the possibilities that these avoided in my life. I am one step closer to trusting the process...as today i have something close to proof of it.