Monday 21 November 2011

What the Humble Lizard Taught Me

I could never understand Gerald Durrell's fixation for creepy crawlies. I've always had an innate run-away reflex as far as the are concerned. However, I to this day maintain that no Zen master could have taught me about fear so well, as did the humble lizard which resides rent free in my garden.


It began with quite a bang or a semi heart attack for me. I shifted a pot as I was tidying and lo and behold! Out of nowhere a lizard appears and dashes straight towards me. It felt as bad as being attacked by a bull.


Before I could react the lizard had scampered over my foot and run off behind another pot. I realised I could breathe again. It then hit me that though in a way I had been attacked the lizard hadn't stuck to my leg like most of us suppose. It had seemed more interested in scampering off than sticking to my clothes or parts of my anatomy.


That was an eye opener. The second revelation was that it hadn't really been an unpleasant experience. I felt no revulsion for it as it hadn't been even faintly as gross as I thought it's skin would be.


Furthermore, it was obviously more scared or equally as scared as I was of it. 


It was at that point of time when I lost all fear for it and could even think kindly of a lizard. Here, I was getting worried about a lizard that was harmless and more intimidated with me. How many times in life do we fear some object or person to only later realise how very contrary our beliefs have been to reality!       

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