NASTY LANDINGS
One day, in the 1990s, I joined a group of people gathered around staff members at Science North in Sudbury, Ontario. The workers, clad in royal blue lab coats, introduced me to flying squirrels. On that day, I spent most of my admission fee watching these amazing little furry creatures. One of the staff would stand high in the balcony, take a flying squirrel gently from his pocket and hold him in the palm of his hand. The squirrel would notice another worker below, where we were standing, and leap effortlessly, float and glide gracefully to land neatly on the outstretched arm of a another staff person. There he would settle in and nibble on a piece of tasty banana.
As Laurie Griffin mentioned in her interesting article in the January edition of the High Country News, you rarely see this kind of squirrel because they are nocturnal, shy and stay mostly up in the trees. Their large skin flaps, so handy for gliding, are an encumbrance on the ground, making them easy prey. So, like many people, I have never seen one in the wild.
I am so pleased Science North introduced me to flying squirrels. I find them delightful, intriguing and, as Laurie writes, they encourage us to aspire to greater things.
But, that last line in her article had me laughing out loud! “If you can’t fly, just learn to fall with grace.”
Oh, Laurie! You set me thinking about times when I have fallen – and it was not “graceful”! I find myself blushing in shame because my landings were absolutely “disgraceful”!
I remember stomping out of the room incensed, wounded, determined never to speak to that person again. Another time I slammed the front door so hard the glass shattered (at least it was my own front door!). One time, though, I nailed it. I scrubbed the kitchen floor and released the pent up energy before I said or did anything else (and the floor was gleaming!).
I don’t plan to fall. It always takes me by surprise and then it is too late to be graceful. So, now I am working at getting up gracefully.
Sometimes an apology is a good idea. But, as I often say to a certain teenage girl in my life, “Stop saying I’m sorry!” These words can slip out so easily and can be more a sign of insecurity and “people-pleasing” than authenticity.
So, when I am getting up from another fall, holding onto something for support and legs splayed apart for balance, I need to think. I need to figure out if I’m sorry, and, if so, what exactly am I sorry about? I am a person, too, loved by God just as much as the other, and so I need to respect both parties and apologize truthfully.
Sifting through the reason for the fall is a good idea for me because I want to do better in my relationships. After all, I believe this is why we are here on this planet – to be in relationship with God and the people around us.
If I can understand the emotion I am feeling, name it and determine the truth of why I am feeling this way, then I may be able to deal with my emotions in a more rational and mature manner. As the older teens say, “I need to get on with adulting”. I wonder why it takes me so long to grow up.
I do not believe that flying squirrels aspire to have wings. I believe they are created to glide. I believe also that I am created to be an adult with a good mind, capable of working problems out with God’s wisdom and guidance.
And, once in a while, I find myself gliding with poise through the air, landing gracefully and delighting again in the life I have been given.
