I have a big picture window in my office and the view makes me happy. Even though we live smack dab in the middle of the city, I love the fact that nature visits constantly. The holly tree just outside has many visitors each day – birds (which we feed), squirrels (which we feed), lizards and snakes (which we don’t feed, at least not intentionally). We have a beautiful red shouldered hawk that sometimes comes and I even had a snapping turtle that found her way into my little Home Depot water lily pond; she stayed with me for about 5 years and would come the side of the pond like a puppy looking for a treat (isn’t she beautiful!).
Recently, there has been a crab spider who has quite a large web that she’s spun right in front of the window (OK, it’s actually a spinybacked orbweaver – we’ve just always called them crab spiders. And out of respect for people who don’t like spiders, even in pictures, here’s a link for those of you who are interested. She’s quite a beauty!) On misty days her web looks like she has draped it in diamonds. Recently it was quite windy and when I looked out, I noticed she wasn’t in the middle of the web where she usually is. Then I saw that, even in the midst of the wind, she wasn’t safely in the middle holding on; she was out on the edge doing repair work.
Life can sometimes be overwhelming and the wind of circumstance blows mightily. Even though I truly love my job working with speakers and meeting planners, it can get very busy and stressful. So I’m grateful for my little spider and her reminder not to wait for the winds to subside because there may be nothing left; you have to keep going, keep building no matter what.
When stress sets in, and pressure, I focus.
– David Hallberg
Deckard & Company!