A fly landed on my hand the other afternoon. I was on our back porch trying to get interested in a watercolor painting I was working on. I had sketched out the general scene but hadn\u2019t stuck a brush in water to start the wash that would underlay the background. I\u2019m not good at this – I painted a bit, years ago, and then stopped. I\u2019ve tried to recapture the skill, limited as it was, a few times over the years but haven\u2019t stuck with it. I guess that old adage is true, \u201cYou can\u2019t teach an old dog new tricks.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, I was sitting there just staring at the sketch waiting for a nudge from the universe to get moving. \u201cAlexa\u201d had been kind enough to find and play some easy listening music; a gentle breeze was rustling the leaves in the lilac bushes along the fence and wind chimes were tinkling off in the distance. I guess I was in a vegetative state, killing time, procrastinating and about to doze off. <\/p>\n
Then, a fly landed on my hand, my fingertip to be specific. I was in such a mellow state I didn\u2019t brush it away. I could hardly feel it \u2013 either it was very gentle, very light on my finger, or I just don\u2019t have the sensitivity I used to. The fly scampered around, running up between my fingers as though on a scouting mission. I just sat there, letting him continue his exploration of my hand. He hung in there for 22 minutes. <\/span><\/p>\n I guess he thought I was a good guy, that I wouldn\u2019t swat him like most humans. And, I had no urge to do so. Kind of like those photos you used to see in old news reels, people standing around in the heat with swarms of flies buzzing around their heads, going in and out of their mouths, not seeming to be bothered or even to notice. Watching the fly scamper around on my hand intrigued me. He probed here and there with his proboscis but inflicted no pain, not much of any sensation at all.<\/p>\n