Tin Man

As mornings go around here, we gather under the awning, the designated smokers area, and sit around the table on our flimsy plastic sun chairs with our coffee and smokes. My roommate goes to put her cigarette out in the old tin coffee can we keep for cigarette butts and exclaims in fright. A bug! A bug? Inquisitively I peek over the rusted rim to find a vibrant, near neon green grasshopper.

I scoop him up gently with a plant leaf and transfer him to our garden under a lavender bush. I found an old grape stem and turned the hose on as to drench it and leave droplets of water on the branches for him to drink and bathe. He does so meticulously.

He is my miracle today. He reminds me how in love I am with life, how far I’ll go to save even the tiniest of creatures, and how fascinated I am by the resilience that’s intrinsically bestowed upon us as vessels of the universe.

Grasshoppers, as some may know or recognize, are a well known symbol of good luck. They can only jump forward (not backwards or sideways) which is why they are considered by many to be such a good omen. Amongst other attributes, the grasshopper is valued amongst many cultures through ancient to present times.