This Damselfly is the last thing I saw before breaking my thumb a few months ago. Damselfly symbolizes the brightness of transformation and the wonder of colorful new vision, according to Ted Andrews in Animal Speak. Maybe Damselfly showed up to illuminate something I needed to see more clearly.
I was building a woodshed when I broke my thumb. I was very excited because I had never built anything before. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of gal, and when I put my mind to something, not much stands in my way. This is both a blessing and a curse.
On this day, I was making wonderful progress. I was ready to raise the shed so I could begin work on the roof, but I was by myself. I wanted it raised right that moment! I could lift the structure alone but I was having difficulty nailing it in place while holding it; however, I was determined (read — stubborn!). So while holding and hammering, I was exhausting myself. At last, I was ready to pound in the final nail and I went for it with all my remaining gusto. Somehow my thumb ended up beneath the hammer and suddenly all I saw were stars. I shattered the tip of my thumb to painful pieces.
The Damselfly illuminated my ego for me–that part of my very strong will that is stubborn and can get me into trouble. I needed help with the shed but I wanted to prove that I could do it by myself, and I didn’t want to wait for help. I was tired, weak, and sloppy. I had no business attempting what even a pro would have difficulty doing. Maybe Damselfly showed up before I broke my thumb trying to get my attention–get me to take a few deep breaths and return to my senses. Instead, I only stopped long enough to snap the photo. A few weeks later I completed the shed and months later I still have a bum thumb to remind me to return to my breath so that I can see more clearly.
P.S. If you are no longer getting email alerts to new blog entries that I post, then please resubscribe using the Subscribe to Updates box on the right. I mysteriously lost most of my subscribers email addresses due to a computer glitch. Sorry for the inconvenience!
