Itsy Bitsy Spider

Spiders are amazing creatures. Resilient, determined, strong, incredibly athletic, hard working and patient. A few mornings ago when I was looking up at some geese flying overhead, I noticed a very nice spider web way up in a 50 feet tall evergreen tree in our back yard. I was stunned. Apparently spiders are also amazingly creative engineers, not intimidated by any challenge. From the bottom of the tree, to the top where the spiderweb was in all its splendor, seemed like if I was a spider, I had decided to start in Seattle and put up my spider web in New York. I was awed by the spider's incredible determination. It really cheered me up. I figured if a spider was able to be so focused and successful in its projects, I could certainly be optimistic,too. " The itsy, bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out...Out came the sun and dried out all the rain, and the itsy, bitsy spider climbed up the spout again..." I remember singing that song with my son's Kindergarten class. It is a great song about determination, resilience, strength, all qualities I really admire. Spiders are not deterred by their web being destroyed by wind, humans, rain. They just move over a bit and start over without moping around. They literally dust themselves off and get going again. Rather impressive when you have ever taken the time like I have to watch a spider build a spider web from start to finish. You would think she would say, well, the hell with this, I spent way too much time on this perfect web to start over again, like ever. No. That is not what happens. No self-pity, no ego wound, no anger, no sadness. Just get up and five, six, seven, eight, ... go! That is so cool. Of course, the standard response to my enthusiasm and appreciation for the spider is invariably, well, of course, the spider gets right back to building, it is instinct. All I can say is hooray for instinct. I hope mine gets me as far as that spider got. She sure makes me think and smile and try even harder.