Listen to the dancing orbs.
[No. 52]
WHAT WOULD LIFE FEEL LIKE IF WE WERE THE “CHOOSERS” FROM THE START INSTEAD OF CONDITIONED TO WAIT TO BE “CHOSEN?”
“Once you are real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”
The Velveteen Rabbit
Once upon a time, there lived a bunny named Rodrigo. He was white with black charcoal circles around his eyes. His fellow neighborhood rabbits called him Brigitte Bardot, and he’d shyly smile though he had no idea what they were talking about. Rodrigo lived alone in the hollow of an oak tree in Benedictine Canyon. He had been left there by his mother as a baby after his younger brother had died. She went out one day to collect plants and sticks and had yet to return. Rodrigo waited by the opening of his cave until dawn, and again the next day and the next. She was still out. Best to play it safe, he believed, in his small yet sacred environs.
A few times a week, a farmer who lived on the land nearby would throw scraps of vegetables and fruit over a thick stone wall into a big heap that the nearby creatures would scavenge for food. On those days, Rodrigo would sheepishly sneak out of his house and go gather what he could find. The veggies were often a bit floppy; the fruit as well a bit too ripe. Yet, those were the ones he grew accustomed to; the ones he felt he deserved.
Most of the time, he would stay within eyesight of his tree where he felt secure. There, he knew what to expect. Other bunnies and woodland creatures would pass by his hollow on their way to the meadows. He had heard of these sprawling green pastures where fresh vegetables and fruit grew straight from the rich earth. While he was usually curious about their adventures, he was too terrified to return their greetings with much more than a nod. It had yet crossed his mind that he could himself leave, let alone ask to join the others. No one had ever taught him how to ask for what he wanted. So, he hesitantly waited daily for activity to come his way, holding onto the hope that his mother might return and something or someone else of interest might fall into his lap.
Rodrigo & Pietro
Every morning, as the sun began to rise, Rodrigo would sit on his doorstep, nibbling on his morning hay and watching the tiny reflections of golden light dancing through the leaves on surrounding trees. If ever he believed in magic and the idea of something more than he could imagine, it came ever so slightly alive in him when he saw those orbs hopping through the branches and trunks of his faithful neighborhood trees. Their light kept him company in his lonely, solitary days. He would faithfully wait for that grand ballet every morning and delight in its beauty. Then, the sun would shift, and he would move into his chores. His world was sweet [enough], and it was also very small. Rodrigo had become so conditioned to spending his time waiting for life to happen to him that he had yet to allow himself to ponder what actually filled his dreams. He had yet to invite himself to actually live.
On this day, Rodrigo was lost in the mesmerizing morning pas seul of his beloved sunlight. Today was more magnificent than ever. In fact, he thought he must be dreaming when one of the bright flickers of luminosity grew bigger and bigger. The rays expanded and morphed as the glow moved closer to him. The next thing he knew, there was a stunning angel standing in front of him at his doorstep. Being timid, he started to retreat backwards when the angel began to speak.
“Rodrigo, I come in peace.”
“Who are you? And how do you know my name!?”
“Our mother sent me. She watches you in the clouds. So do I. It is me, your brother Bug.”
“She does? You do? I thought she had forgotten me. Why did she send you?”
“She loves you very much. She could not come back to the hollow. She knows you watch the light and had hoped you would follow it one day–to explore the world.”
“Hey, I am very comfortable here! And things do happen!” he said stubbornly.
“You might feel alright here, looking at beautiful things, but there is so much out there. In your biggest dreams, how do you want to feel?”
“I want to feel connected and held, and yet I feel unsure about the world. It is easier to just play it safe.”
“You can either wait for the world, Rodrigo, or you can make your own.”
“How would I do that?”
“Let me put it this way. From up there [nods to heaven], I see there are two kinds of bunnies: the ones sitting around wishing to be chosen and the ones choosing life even when what lies ahead may be wild and unknown. But you are never alone. Please know I am with you always.”
“And I with you.”
And as mysteriously as he came to life, he disappeared again. He hopped through the air and into the wonder of the trees. Rodrigo perched stunned for a few seconds, digesting all his brother had said along with his hay. He scurried into his hollow and slept until the next morning. When he awoke the following day, he heard some rustling in the leaves outside his house. He stepped outside to see what was happening. Out front, underneath the glittering trees, there stood a fluffy gray and white bunny that Rodrigo had never seen in these parts. The bunny noticed him and bowed, whispering, “I am Pietro. Would you like to come discover the Great Meadows. I am a little scared, and I would like to explore. Have you been?” Rodrigo wanted to run inside and hide as had been his practice in the past. Then, his eye caught the dancing orbs of light in the trees above, and he thought of his Bug. “I have yet to go,” he replied sheepishly. “I am not yet a wise adventurer, so perhaps we could find it together.” Pietro jumped with excitement and said, “I hear there are lush fruits and other friends!” Rodrigo took a long, slow deep breath and said, “Let’s go.”
With butterflies in their bellies and everywhere around them, the dancing orbs winked as they skipped to the Great Meadows together. To life.