As I walked barefoot across the lawn this morning, delighting in the nodding pestemons and bee-deep lavender, my pleasure was interrupted by an abrupt encounter with a small turd.
Fear not, I didn’t step in it. But oh, what a rude little serpent of distaste! Like the discovery of an overripe spot on your nose after a languid Sunday lie-in with a bright new lover, its presence spat me fatly out of my romantic reverie.
The young turd stared boldly back, throwing down the gauntlet of bad decorum and willing this old fogey to make a fuss.
‘Bloody cats!’ spluttered my mind, self-righteous with dirty-disdain.
A pause. A recognition. A chuckle. What codswallop, I adore my feline friends! So why this knee-jerk indignity at nature’s ways?
I looked again. Noticed the sheen of bluebottles clustered on its crust in earnest industry.
And realised: Life is teeming with such moments of choice, the majority made unconsciously. I could choose to see a turd covered in flies and play the tired old record of disgust.
Or…
I could choose to see a banquet of living jewels, dazzling in iridescent dinner jackets at their giant ochre feast! To wonder at the crusade of little winged recycling-champions going about their permacultured day.
I took a moment to admire the beady sequins of their bodies with their taut metallic glaze; marvel at the little mascara-brushed eyelashes of their legs and the maroon globes either side of bomber-pilot helmets, the stunning complexity of their minutely pixelated eyes.
I’ve always been tickled by the saying, ‘You can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter’.
I’m even more delighted to realise there’s no need. Nature sends them their very own living sequins – with miniature delivery-wings no less! Oh tiny fecal fairies, if we consciously clean our minds of prejudices, judgments and beliefs we can see how miraculous you are, and the parable of truth you represent.
Just like the Universe, flies lay their eggs in life’s excrement because it’s such rich nutrition for growth. So no matter how unpleasant things seem, there’s always a hot steam of transformation in every cowpat and a glitter of jewels on every turd.
The trick is to take off our smeary mind goggles.
And learn to truly see.
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I applaud your zen-like approach to poop and flies. I detest them and the rear-ends from which them came, so unfortunately for me no amount of fly-bedazzling could ever disguise the face of the faeces.
Basically, I’m un-evolved and day dream of corking the anus of every local cat and dog.
Oh God this is brilliant, pure comic talent Corky – thank you so much for making me laugh out loud!!!
Love love love reading your artistry beautiful Clare! As a frequent barefootbeing – I have actually trodden in turds on a few occasions !
Thank you so much dearest Julia!! And though I’m sure it was unpleasant, I had to laugh out loud about your barefoot ‘shituations’ – though I’ve no doubts you’re an absolute master at seeing the funny side! But how oh how do you get back indoors without tracking it everywhere?! It’s not like you can take your feet off at the door like you can a pair of trainers! 🙂 Xxx
I was just introduced to your blog about half-an-hour a go, and I’m entranced. You write so beautifully, and in a way that takes me on a lovely gentle flight of discovery. This one, about the turd made me giggle, as I too have the thoughts about the rich circle of life being in play every time the flies are shooed away when I pick turds up in my yard.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such lovely feedback Danielle – and for your wonderfully encouraging words! It was such a joy to read your comment, and so heartening to hear that the blog has resonated with you (and made you giggle about turds ;-)) I love the thought that you’ll be laughing every time you pick one up in your yard! Thank you so much, and I really hope you enjoy whatever post happens to bubble up next Xxx <3