The Wisdom of the Slug

Late at night the slugs come out.  Last night I stared at one with a mix of disgust and dismay.  Why does such a slow and ugly creature exist!?  I figured my dismay came from ignorance, so I decided to learn more about the slug.  I was humbled by what I learned.  The slug may be a great master.

Slugs zip around on a thin layer of goo.  What are they doing?  It turns out they are one of nature's most prolific recyclers.  A lot of people talk the environmental-green talk.  The slug walks the walk.  She tirelessly eats dead organic matter and turns it back into soil.  She works the night shift and gets no thanks or praise.  She eats what others wouldn’t dare without complaint.  What she takes is useless, even harmful to the forest, and she transforms it into life-giving soil.

Perhaps what I now admire most is the slug's ability to consume and transmute whatever she finds.  There is nothing the slug is afraid to digest.  She metabolizes all that she meets down in the dirt.  And I realized that I cannot yet match the slug's courage.  There are aspects of my own experience I flee from, unable to digest.  I’d rather not admit I was wrong and take my medicine.  I'd rather not chew on my unresolved grief.  I chase what feels good, leaving a queue of unprocessed emotion in my wake.  I cannot digest all my experiences with grace.  And what’s more, I like to be congratulated for my effort!

The slug digests it all without fear or complaint.  The slug gets no praise and needs none.  Just engaging in the alchemy the forest needs is enough for her. Could there be a more noble agent of compassion?  The slug makes even the snail look haughty, cruising around in its fancy shell.  She adorns no shell for prestige or protection.  She lives naked and raw.  Doing the dirty work no one else is humble enough to do.  And as a result of the slug’s thankless effort, the forest is healthier, and all life has a better chance to flourish.

So now I look up to the slug.  I hope I can live up to her example.  I hope I can metabolize all that I meet.  I hope I can work in a way that benefits others.  I hope I can do so without the need for thanks.

May I be more like the slug!