My daughter’s lunch with an orangutan
Living in the moment–a great idea, but not always easy to achieve. A few years back, one of my daughters did a college semester abroad in South Africa. While out for lunch with friends in a beautiful outdoor dining area, an orangutan climbed over the roof and helped him (or her) self to their lunches.
They all ran inside. I’ve never tried it, but I understand it’s not a good idea to argue with an orangutan.
Living in the moment
I heard the story and saw the photo. And it really struck me–you never know when the orangutan will eat your lunch. So you might as well enjoy each moment.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. This weekend marked the one year anniversary of my friend’s death in a drive-by shooting. And two people were murdered in my neighborhood by the same gun about 36 hours apart. No robbery or gang involved–two people killed for no good reason. Needless to say, everyone feels on edge around here.
The orangutan comes to visit
It’s the orangutan. The senseless interruption of life or lunch. For those of us who still have our lives and lunches, or at least for me, it’s a good reminder about the importance of living in the moment. We have this moment now and it is ever so precious.
We need to feel all those feelings–the fear, the anger, whatever comes up. Honoring our feelings is so important. But we can also choose to use our time in a way that is meaningful to us–whatever that might be for you or me.
Consider this your invitation. Enjoy your lunch. Savor your life.
And don’t argue with the orangutan! (But if you go the Ah Meng restaurant in Singapore, you apparently can have breakfast with orangutans, but they looked like they’re in cages.)
I wrote about the recent violence in my neighborhood in the last Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, Processing Major Life Events Through Writing.
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo
