Catch and Release

Maybe I should have said something but I didn’t. I thought the ladies there might get upset. I stared for several moments lost between thought and action waiting for a sign, but no help was forthcoming. I thought of Buddhists and worms in the movie: "Seven Years in Tibet". How Tibetans cannot harm even worms. Any living creature could have been your Mother in a previous life, therefore you must show respect to all living creatures. In the end I said nothing. Did nothing. I left the daddy long legs spider resting on the metal roller at the end of the swimming pool where I had discovered him. I wondered how he had gotten there and what would become of him. Two days later my wife returned from the pool and casually mentioned how she and her friend had removed several dead bugs floating on the surface. One of them, she said, was a daddy long legs spider. It was a small thing, but sometimes even the smallest things can make your day feel heavier.