The Bee, the Possum and the Snail

There's a lot of things going on in the world today. I guess there always is. I'm trying to stay focused on the good, the pleasant, the forgiving and keep my mind off of all these young women killing their children, fathers killing their sons, people killing themselves- BAD STUFF. Sometimes if I just concentrate on insects, animals, trees, the cliffs, the ocean it puts things into perspective. I was hiking the other day with Mufasa and Boo and noticed all the butterflies, the bees, the birds, even the shape of rocks that caught my eye- ALL GOOD. Then I came home amidst all of my material things and they just made me feel guilty. Imagine if a bee had to fly around with a hundred dollar bill on its back- HEAVY. I really like bees. They seem so industrious and clever. Some time ago, a whole swarm of bees built a hive under the awning of my front door. My flowers were blooming like they were on acid!
But... first it started with not being able to read on the patio (I was really into Louise Gluck during that time. The bees seemed to like her style almost as much as I did as they would buzz and flit between the pages). After a few more months, I could put my ear to the wall just inside the door and hear a beautiful but ominous buzzing like the house was made of machinery. I still could not bear to intervene.
Then, one morning I tried to leave my house, opened the door and there was the largest swarm of bees I have ever seen in my life. It was so un-nerving that I felt like it was one of the Apocalyptic signs. So I had to call the exterminators BUT...
told them I did not want the bees killed. They used some kind of phermone that signaled to them that the hive was contaminated... so they packed their bags and flew away. Actually, they just re-located to this huge evergreen tree across the street so it's like joint custody. Now, there is this possum who has set up residence on the roof. In the dark his white face glows like a little moon (what a great idea for a children's book... but probably has already been done) and he moves
like an arthritic old man. His tail is ringed like a tree. He would be ugly if he weren't so strange. He's very concerned about Mufasa and Boo and sits and watches them from the roof as if they've pooped on his lawn. Oh and we have a lot of snails and slugs. Did you know snails eat meat? How they get anywhere fast is beyond me... but if you leave a small piece of meat outside, they gravitate towards it.
I've watched them at night with a flashlight and they just look like they are chowing down! I think they must "gum" their food... I don't think they have teeth.
One of the most disturbing feelings is to step on one barefoot. NASTY and of course, the guilt. I don't think anyone should even step on an ant if they can avoid it.