April 8, 2022

I Followed a Ladybug
- Alexandra Pauley

Today, I followed a ladybug. This wasn't a planned adventure, scheduled on the Google Calendar, but a spontaneous choice that literally sprang up in front of me. I had just begun a walk through Central Park, inhaling the refreshingly crisp Spring air, while admiring the colorful flowers beginning to bloom, when a ladybug dared to land on my button nose! Stunned as I was, I managed to remain still while crossing my eyes in an effort to bring her into focus.

With a grace I didn't see coming, she spread her vibrant red outer wings, dotted with black spots, then her hind wings, and lifted off my nose like a ballet dancer. She traveled a few feet, then touched down on the lush green grass. The contrasting colors brought a wide smile to my face, and that was it. I was hooked.

Her six tiny legs carried her up, down, beneath and over, blades of vivid grass, and crispy leaves, at a pace I hadn't expected. Like a solider on a mission, she moved forward by some internal compass; ever seeking. A few minutes passed this way when a spunky chocolate lab sprang across her path, sending the grass from which she clung, into a whirlwind!

Once again, her wings sprang open, she drifted upward, and held her position in the breezeless afternoon, like a hovering helicopter. She paused at my eye line, and I kid you not, dipped her head to me, before sailing off into the lush North Woods of the park. I lost track of her before long, but the feeling of companionship lives on. We shared a moment, that ladybug and I. And although we will never see each other again, her kindred spirit resides in my memory.