Tonight I met a Dragonfly. I think she said her name was Swartzy. At any rate… I learned some things about them.
They have six legs… like most other insects. But most of them cannot walk. Now this fact struck me right off the bat. Can any of them walk… and if so… why those? And not the others.
Regardless. Six legs. Not walkers.
Now flying is a completely different story. They are crazy good flyers. They have four wings. This in itself would take amazing coordination, I would think.
And. They are fast. The Dragonfly can soar at 30 m.p.h. That is pretty snappy for an insect. I like how they zip around. To and Fro. I think that is neat. They can make sharp turns… and fly backwards.
If I were a scientist, I would study this. Then I would build a plane, and fly it the same way. I think that would be especially fun.
And here is another whole deal. Before they become adults… they are known a nymphs. And they are aquatic. Once they hit adulthood they begin to fly. But I think the whole “nymph” thing is cool. A nymph by definition is a mythological spirit of nature…. which is imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers and woods. Coolio. Spirit of Nature.
Yet. Who knew? They are great hunters. Their see in the range of spectacular. They have two compound eyes, which are made up of 30,000 little eensy-teensy eyes. I hope they never need glasses.
Finally, they have a lot of “symbolism” attached to them. They are adaptive. They are light reflectors. And, they stand for “deeper thought” and awareness.
The dragonfly is a reminder that when our deeper thoughts rise to the surface we must pay attention – there are lessons to be learned, and we are also reminded that what we think is directly proportionate to what we “see on the surface.”
But the best part is this… their colors are a result of reflecting and refracting the power of light. Dragonflies are reminders that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so.
Or so they say… those people of symbolism, meditation, and spiritual awareness.
A beautiful creation, no matter how you look at it.
If I were a dragonfly… Oh how I would shine. And oh how I would fly.
“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same” – Nelson Mandella