It’s the little things, y’know?
On the way to work this morning I saw a snail crossing the sidewalk. It had a very pretty shell, pale yellow with a sharp black stripe. Right in the middle of the sidewalk it was, halfway between the bushes by the McD parking lot and the cool shady bushes by the side of the road.
Well, this was new and interesting, so I stayed and snapped a few pictures. And then I stayed some more, because I was afraid this little guy* would get squished by some oblivious lumbering biped. It was taking its sweet time, as snails do; after a couple minutes I tried to gently pick it up, but it retreated inside its shell and just hung on to the sidewalk. So I left it alone.
It took the snail about 10 minutes to complete its journey. I stayed with it all that time, not minding how I looked to passersby, not minding that I’d be a little late for work. The snail was teaching me patience, teaching me one needs to slow down every once in a while.
(* I know snails are hermaphrodites)
