While at Beardfest in the Pine Barrens of NJ, I had a close encounter with a beautiful dragonfly. It was the last day of the festival when everyone was cleaning up their tents. I was feeling exhausted from a long weekend, and also having gone through a lot recently, so I decided to take a break down by the water. I laid down on a small floating dock. While relaxing there, a dragonfly decided to come land on my nose. She stayed there for around ten minutes basking in the sunshine. She was black with golden stripes. I barely moved, because I was in awe of the insect, her wings gently fluttering in the wind and eyes moving about
…I heard her soulfully whisper, “Thank you for honoring my home”. A tear ran down my cheek as she flew over and landed next to me for another moment before returning to her swamp , her home. I felt so inspired by this moment, and the visitor.
They say dragonflies communicate the messages between the Earth and the Spiritual Realms. The wisdom that came through afterwards was that its sometimes more important to be quiet and still than to be the one doing much work. I was almost as still as the lily pads on the water that day for her to come land on me for that long. Also, remember to never underestimate the power of taking a break from the business of society to rest in nature. There is a gentleness there unfound in other worlds. I felt a real peacefulness overtake me while next to the water that day. It was as though all the challenges of the modern day world drifted away, and all that was left was that dragonflies words. - “Thank you for honoring my home”. And I truly did honor her home by taking the time away from everyone to lay down and remember my place in the natural order of things… Gratitude for the small worlds hidden all around us.
Just as I was about to leave to return with my story, my dear friend Ken decided to join me on the dock. We laid there together in conversation, tears pouring down our cheeks. - In awe of what is truly possible when we take the time to be moved by nature.
