Murderous Hornet
Just after dawn: Thundering down the dirt trail like-nobody’s-grandma from Laguna’s “Top of the World,” I felt a sudden sting on my leg as I, with cat-like reflexes, swatted at the origin of the sharp pain. Since all I could see was the blurry yellow corpse I sent sailing with the palm of my hand (serves him right), I wasn’t able to ascertain whether it was a bee, a wasp, or the now infamous, “Murderous Hornet.” Suddenly breaking and now engulfed in a cloud of dust, I inspected my right calf as I felt the building pain and saw the visual confirmation of the tell-tale red welt.
So what can you do? You pedal towards home. In agony.
A half an hour or so later, as I entered the section of my route which is a paved bike path, I noticed a young child and her momma set up with beach chairs and a box of colored chalk. With chalk sticks strewn, the duo was hard at work writing indecipherable words on the blacktop. As I continued pedaling on the path toward home, I saw evidence of what was undoubtedly their earlier morning, finalized works: Staggered throughout the path, messages like, “You’re doing great,” “Keep your head up,” “Be positive” and “You can do it.”
I thought of all the input we’re getting these days, via official news media and social media. We have so many choices of what to put out into the world, what to share, to help, to spread, to propagate —In our sincerity, we may see ourselves as operating as respectable, “essential” worker bees, doing important work, and maybe we are. But unless we have checked our motives and have concrete proof of whatever conspiracy theory that has now gone “viral,”—and that we, too, are sharing, it might be good to consider whether it could be dangerous misinformation and indirectly delivering a poison.
I’m not suggesting we be all sunshine and butterflies as we are dealing with these unprecedented, hard realities.
I’m not.
So what can you do? You can be careful.
As you move along—walking, pedaling—be mindful of what you leave along the way.
Proceed with caution. Take care.
I love the quote by Ram Dass: “We’re all just walking each other home.”
We are.
For a very short time.
And we all want to get home.
P.S. You’re doing great. Keep your head up. Be positive. You can do it.
