The other day a grasshopper graced me with his presence. I was sitting outside enjoying the sunshine for a few minutes. Even though it was enjoyable, my mind was still running wild. He stood and looked at me for a few minutes, then turned around and slowly did a 360 degree dance. I looked at him, wondered for a minute how long he would stay, and then just quieted my mind so we could tune into each other. I can’t tell you for sure what he said to me, but I knew he WAS telling me something, and it was a good feeling. One feeling I experienced was regarding the coming of fall; to enjoy this warmth in the sun because all too soon we would all be turning more inward and gaining our light from the inside for the next few months. So the main message was to sit, enjoy, and take it all in.

After a few minutes, I got up to go inside, and when I came back out he was still outside in the same spot on my walkway. I made a mental note to myself to look up in my book, Animal Wisdom, the grasshopper’s meaning. Needless to say, I forgot.

That evening when I went outside to go to my car for an errand, I noticed my grasshopper was gone. The next morning, as I went out to get my morning paper and say hello to my day, the morning, the sun, and my flowers and trees, my grasshopper was back.

In fact, that day I was preparing to give a free teleconference and was talking to myself when I saw him again. I ran back into my house to read about grasshopper in my book. Guess what? Grasshopper making his appearance in our lives, according to Indian folklore, means to take time, relax, and enjoy the music. Wow, that was great timing for me, and a wonderful message overall.

Over the next two days, I noticed that grasshopper hadn’t moved. I came to the slow realization that he might have spent his last live moments with me, basking in the sun, and passing on his knowledge to me. I haven’t had the nerve to move him yet. He also serves as a daily reminder to me to relax, smell the flowers, and all in its own time.

Thank you, Grasshopper.