The Ant Farm Of Life

Yesterday morning, soon after arriving at work, I was looking out the window. I was kind of lost in the moment because the sun was rising and it was a beautiful day. When I look out the window in my work area, I can see the river, the highways, and the bridges that link Kentucky and southern Indiana. In the early morning hours of a workday there are literally thousands of cars and trucks speeding up and down the road and across the bridges. At a slower pace are the barges pushing loads of coal or other products down the river. While I was observing all of this I couldn’t help but think how it all reminded me of an ant farm. There was so much activity and so many people coming and going. Sometimes I think of all these people and I wonder who they are and where they are going. I can imagine myself standing on one of the barges as it goes down the river or sitting on one of the benches in Waterfront park having my morning coffee. I know all of these people are really just like me. They are going about their daily business, mostly going to work, but some are just driving through on their way to some distant place, or for a lucky few, going on vacation. This picture outside my window, this ant farm of life, is a microcosm of the lives most people have every day. Life is full of movement and energy. We are all part of it. All of this activity is what keeps the world going. There is certainly a part of life that should be reserved for being and thinking and wondering. However, it is also important for life that we act, plan, and do things. We get out of our beds, thankful for another day, and we rise to the challenge of meeting its demands. When the day is done, and our work is complete, we go home to rest, quiet our minds, and be grateful for the blessings of the day.