Pray for the mantis.
I grew up thinking that bugs were pretty cool. I felt that way until my niece, Emily, was about two years old and we were gathering up roly polies like madwomen and putting them in a cup.
Or so I thought, until I looked in the cup.
There was not one single roly poly in that cup. And when I looked at my niece she had these big cow eyes looking at me but her chin was set in that line of determination it has always had when she makes up her mind.
And I said something I’ve regretted for the last 20 or so years.
“Open your mouth.”
And she did.
And roly polies came out in an army, crawling out of her mouth and across her cheeks and over her nose and she giggled and wriggled until the last one made its way out of the cavern.
Gross. Gross. GROSS.
While I still like some bugs, I really enjoy living in Colorado where we don’t have giant ones. Or really, really loud ones. Or really, really scary looking ones. And for my major accomplishment and best non-violent yogic intention and act to date, I no longer kill spiders. I’ve even encouraged lots of bugs in our yard and garden because I’ve learned how much they help.
Evidently, I’ve instilled this bug truce into the heart of Ewan, because oh boy does that child love bugs. And just what did we find on our back deck?
The darned thing looked right at me.
I fell in love.
He looks like the cockroach guy from Monsters vs. Aliens. Well. Except he’s a praying mantis and that other thing was a cockroach. And for the record, I don’t know that I could keep my non-violent intention if there was a real cockroach around. Oh bleh!!!!! I’m creeping myself OUT.
Ewan loved him, too.
And then it fled. Seems that giant babies are not high on its “list of things I’d like to have hold me today.” But Holden was on that bug like the paparazzi.
How awesome is he? Quite the little photographer, that one. I should put him to work and let him bring home some bacon.
PM stuck around on into the evening, just swaying and occasionally jumping from screen to deck for a while. Threw Ewan into fits of Wooderson giggles each time he saw it, which then made us ALL laugh until we’d snort.
Whew. Life is good. It’s really, really good.
