Banana Slugs & Orange Bellied Newts

When it rains here in the redwood forest, the ferns look greener and the trees sway in the mist. Colors deepen. The staccato sounds of dripping tap out mysterious rhythms. It's as if the earth itself is singing—drinking and breathing water.

The mustard yellow banana slugs are on the move this time of year. Tiny comma-sized slugs and big, thick ones alike. They slime toward the fox poo on the road; it is a banana slug conference of sorts happening right there in front of the house. Or they might be seen next to the creek, curled around each other, head to tail. A banana slug can grow to be as long as a foot! 

In the rain, the orange-bellied newts with their cute little 4-toed hands, big bellies, and deliberate, heaving walk come out. It turns out they are poisonous—that bright belly is a sign to avoid putting one in your mouth. (Did you need a sign for this?) 

So the other day I went to town for errands, and I accidentally stepped on dog poo while wearing my favorite kicks. Yuck! I had been rushing around, not really paying attention, my mind lost in thought. Which is how you step in dog poo. And, I suspect, how you step on a banana slug.

Later, when I went on a walk in the rain soaked woods, the urgency and rush of my to-do list was rather compelling and I almost stepped on a banana slug. That got my attention. I don't want to step on a slug, or an orange bellied newt for that matter! I knew that there was a metaphor waiting for me-something about being present rather than lost in the virtual reality of thought.

The wet forest was nudging me to clear my mind and pay attention to where I step. Is this too much of a stretch for you? Do you believe that the forest or the earth can speak to you? What destruction we humans cause when we are preoccupied with urgency and optimization. 

Attention is the difference between care and harm. Not just in the forest, but in our conversations and in our choices. In the small, ordinary moments we tend to rush past. Attention allows us to care for ourselves, each other, and the world.

What would it be like to move through the world as if something stinky, slimy, poisonous (or even precious lol) was always just beneath your feet?