It has been what I often refer to as a whack-a-mole kind of week. Do you have an idea what I mean? Like the carnival game where little moles pop up and you stand with a rubber mallet to slap the little critters back into their holes, things have been popping up left and right. None are really of crisis nature but all have been dragging me away from what I would like to be doing. Does this ever happen to you?

Earlier in the week I was internally lamenting this life rhythm while on a morning walk. My mind was doing gymnastics worthy of Olympic gold medal status as I made my way along a familiar path oblivious to the world around me. Though it was quite early in the morning I was already revving myself up for more whacking. And that’s when, instead, I got whacked.

There had been rain in the night and though it had long since passed, I looked up in the blueness of the morning sky and was blessed by the arc of a rainbow. Someplace in a northern suburb the rain must have still been falling while the sun shone through. A rainbow! This brilliant miracle of color that has the ability to awe even the most fervent monkey minded person. How could I be jumbling myself into knots when there are rainbows?

Not moments later, while I was still stunned from this array of colors, a brilliant red cardinal flew across my path nearly at eye level, landing in the wall of lilac bushes that just months ago had filled the walkway with their sweet, purple fragrance. Another whack! Wake up you silly woman and see the beauty around you!

After these two wake up calls I decided to give myself over to the miracles rather than the moles. What did I experience? Not more than an hour later, I witnessed a white, fluffy cloud form itself into an alligator right there in the sky over my head. Slowly one puff after another formed scales and bulging eyes, a long snout and an even longer tail.

Driving alongside a beat up red truck, I witnessed the bounty piled high in its open bed. Dahlias, red, orange, yellow and pink stood tall in buckets headed for someone’s dining room table. Other buckets held mounds of zucchini and green onions standing at attention while still other containers were burgeoning with tomatoes. Some farmer’s hard work was on its way to market, providing nourishment and beauty to those who would receive this sacrament of soil and sun.I was humbled and reminded once again of what really is important, what really happens without my worrying or participation.

So what began as a week of mundane mole whacking is coming to an end with being knocked senseless by this Creation that continues to surprise and set me straight. It is a lesson to be learned over and over again. All the little things that I can allow to cause me to twist and turn with angst usually can be soothed with a good dose of living, really living in the world.

Hopefully, the next time I am ready to pick up my rubber mallet I will remember this much gentler lesson instead. Instead of whacking I will try to remember a bow of color, two red wings, flowers and vegetables overflowing, clouds painting pictures in the sky. It is a lesson, a good lesson, in humility and staying awake.