When you least expect it, you open your bedroom door and find yourself
stepping into another galaxy.
Credit: adelphi.edu
Deep
in the
heart
of the rainforest, I sat among a circle of fearless tribesmen. Their lean, near-naked bodies glistened under streams of brilliant sunlight that pierced the canopy of lush vegetation high above our heads. The dense humid air was filled with a reverberating chorus of exotic animals. The tribesmen studied me closely with curious yet compassionate eyes. Collectively, they exuded an awareness beyond anything I had ever experienced or imagined humanly possible. No words or gestures were exchanged, but it was clear to me they somehow knew and understood everything about me.
My cell phone rang and I fumbled to answer it. “Dude,” said a familiar voice from my past. “The Dow just hit 29,000.”
The tribesmen’s gaze was unwavering, and my stomach rippled with waves of insecurity. In a futile attempt to evade their scrutiny, I foolishly extended my phone to them. “The Dow just hit 29,000,” I said with a nervous smile.
Just then, a huge bird, flapping its wings, erupted from a nearby tree. It flew off belting out a resounding squawk that echoed throughout the surrounding area.
I closed my eyes and reappeared in another part of the forest where my lower body was entangled in a thick mesh of wild brush and tree vines. My breathing grew heavier as I struggled for several minutes to free myself. Exhausted, I paused to regain my strength and noticed a bright-green praying mantis poised on top of a heart-shaped leaf, its mysterious protruding eyes looking directly at me. I leaned closer and the mantis tilted its small, angular head as if to acknowledge my presence.
Suddenly the world around me blurred, and I found myself in a singular, unified reality with a majestic insect, completely focused and captivated by the magnificence and perfection of its ancient stature. My muscles relaxed, and I could feel the vines around my legs slowly recede from my body. Gratitude permeated my entire being. I felt both humbled and privileged to witness the wonder and wisdom of the universe contained in a single living creature—a miracle of evolution radiating hope and infinite possibilities. Overcome by the sheer notion of its existence, my chest sank and I was brought to tears.
Moments later, I was startled out of a deep sleep and woke up to the blaring sounds of canned cheers, whoops, and hollers. My pillow and bedsheets were drenched.
Across the room, figures moved about on the flat-screen TV—a previously recorded baseball game. All the players on the field wore COVID face masks, each detached and seemingly unaffected by row after row of cardboard cutouts displaying torso-sized photos of adoring fans in the stands, their happy and excited faces frozen in another place and time.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes with my palms. “It’s Guerrero!” the announcer howled. “A hard shot taking it high to deep left field. That bad boy is outta here!”