10 Lessons from Ladybugs for the New Year

Apparently, everybody knows about our house.  It meets all the criteria:  it’s old (1830), light-colored (white), with an open southern exposure, and it has lots of leaky windows, uninsulated clapboards, and even some holes.  Still, it is much warmer inside than out, and that’s basically what the ladybugs want.

They came for the first time a few years ago – we didn’t even notice the few dark patches in the upper corners of the windows and near the edge of a skylight – until an unexpected lovely warm sunny day in February when suddenly, there were ladybugs flying around.  I liked them.  I had no idea where they had come from in the middle of winter, but they seemed a sign that spring actually was coming.

When it got cold and dark again the ladybugs seemed to disappear, but once spring did arrive they emerged and gradually found their way out of the house.

In future years when I would notice a little black clump high in the corner of the ceiling, I knew what it was and didn’t disturb it.  As houseguests go, they required very little work – just an occasional rescue from the sink or toilet bowl.

This year something strange is happening.  There is the usual clump in the corner of the kitchen, and a tiny one – I think – in the corner of our bedroom.  There is also, however, a very active population in the upstairs south-facing bathroom and its connected laundry room.  There are constant rescue efforts going on – not to mention a fair number of inadvertent deaths.  The ladybugs are supposed to be sleeping now, but they’re not.  There’s nothing for them to eat (apparently – like all hibernators – they live off of their stored body fat).  They seem to be participating in community water fast.

Clearly, they – like most everything in my life – are here to teach me.  I seem to need to be taught some lessons over and over again.  At some point I may actually learn them!   Here’s what the Ladybugs are teaching:

1. Established patterns of behavior can be changed.  Just because something has always been a certain way, doesn’t mean it can’t be different.
2. And these shifts can happen without a perceptible cause.  Something that was right (sleeping in the corner) doesn’t have to be wrong (note clump in kitchen) for new actions to take place (flying around the bathroom).
3. It’s nice to have friends to play with – or sleep with.  There is a whole community living in my house that I am clearly not a part of.   Am I a part of the community in which I live?  Not so much.  That might be something worth changing.
4. Failure is no reason to give up – even if you get knocked off your perch by a mighty stream of water get right back on if it’s really where you want to be.
5. Tunnel-vision can kill you – literally wear you down until you’re all washed up and go down the drain (see #4, above).
6. Accept the help you are offered.  Sometimes, when you are flat on your back in despair – unable to move – just occasionally flailing your limbs, feeling completely stuck, someone will reach out a hand to you – maybe even a single finger – and that connection will be enough to turn your life around.
7. Small moments of conscious compassion will transform worlds (see #6, above).
8. Death is always with us, as part of Life.  It can happen without a moment’s notice and really has very little to do with you.  Sometimes the only answer to “Why” is “Because.”
9. Live fully in every moment.  Fly when you’re moved to, bask in the sunshine, explore the mystery of the unknown, be an adventurer (see #8, above).And last, but not least:
10. Sometimes, even when you do the “right thing” – and everything that you can think of to prevent a bad situation from occurring, it will happen anyway.  If you are observant, and not complacent with your actions, you may notice in time to salvage something.  If not, your only choice is to watch your regrets flush down the toilet and vow to pay more attention in the future.

So much wisdom from a small spotted beetle,  and how fortunate I am that such teachers abound.

Learned anything from an unexpected source lately?  Please comment and share!