The Great Escape and the Rule of Impermanence

They're on the run. They, no doubt, made a plan to escape together. Two scaled the wall and made it out, one has been recaptured. It's nothing short of a Hollywood movie with Clint Easwood. Of course I am referring to my grandson's snails. He has built a snail house, added leaves and sprays water on them many times a day, and still they choose to leave. He plays with them for much of the day. Interesting how they appeared to know each other. But like all things, they want to do what THEY want to do. Perhaps they miss the great outdoors? If you saw them, you'd have to admit that they all seem to be getting along.

The snails want exactly what my grandson will be searching for soon, simple freedom. Freedom from watchful eyes, rules and of course staying home. It's easy to see when you're 50+ years old, but not so easy to convince an 11 year old.

Now with one snail still at large it is time for me to tell my grandson about `impermanence.' This is the lecture that we know we need to give to our children but because so many of us refuse to think about it ourselves, it goes untold. But today is the day. Impermanence is that deal where everything comes into our lives and then leaves. It refers to people and animals as well as `stuff.' Like the vase you have coveted for years that was originally your grandmothers. One day you are dusting and it crashes to the floor. In shattered shards on the floor, you weep. When you wake in the morning, it's still gone. That's impermanence. In some ways it `sucks,' but then most lessons do. That's why we call them lessons and hopefully we learn from them so we don't have to learn the same lesson again.

Impermanence. Everything leaves us, everything. Spread the word.