There is a pot on my friend’s patio that is full of flowers, purple ones and pink ones and maybe some yellow ones. I’m not good with flowers – I don’ t know them by their names. I know that, this evening, the sun was hitting them directly and they shone beautifully in the natural light. I noticed the flowers because I noticed Zeca standing there looking at the purple ones. She loves purple so I assumed that the color had attracted her. I stepped towards her and said, “Aren’t they pretty?” She said quietly, “Mama, there is a bee.” She wasn’t frightened and whispered so that she wouldn’t scare it away. I focused on the purple petals and saw a bumblebee nestling in and settling there. I asked, “What do you think it is doing?” I’ll admit that, once again, I thought her answer would be predictable. She would tell me that the bee was flying or resting or even smelling the flowers. She looked up at me, squinting because of the sun, and said, “Pollinating. They pollinate…that’s what they do.” Sometimes, I expect so much of her and, at other times, I expect so little because I think of her as the little one, the baby. She never fails to surprise me. Tonight, I stood beside her, watching her more than the bee, seeing her anew…until the bee flew away and the spell was broken. She ran to catch up with her friend and I went to catch up with mine.
Two years ago, I wrote a post about Miguel finding an inch worm. It was a moment like the one with Zeca tonight, a moment in which I was able to slow down and be fully present. Those moments are rare for me and, lately, I’ve been distracted and I’ve been rushing through life just trying to make it from one task to the next. I often think of Miguel and the inch worm. I’ve often wondered if I would have a similar moment with Zeca, the second child born into a family that is often so busy. Today, I had that moment with her and was reminded that there are likely many more awaiting me if, like the bee, I can nestle in and settle.
