The Life Fully Lived: Colouring Outside the Lines

Hmmm, when was the last
time you dared to disregard the fence and go seeking the unexpected?

In our childhood years,
we are not by nature constrained by the rules. Life is a giant playground. It
calls to us to explore every nook and cranny regardless of whether the rules say
we can.

As we mature and grow
into adulthood, we learn that there are rules to the game of life and often
penalties for noncompliance. We develop an inner voice of reason that warns us
when we are treading close to the line and steers us back onto the acceptable
path.

But part of maturing is
recognizing that a life fully lived occasionally means breaking the rules. Some
of life’s special moments happen when we step outside the lines.

I was hiking at one of
my favourite conservation areas yesterday scouting for late summer butterflies
and dragonflies. I was rewarded early. A few stunning specimens presented
themselves to me in the first half hour in plain view on the path.

This immaculate Black Swallowtail came to greet me and
was unusually accommodating in posing for a photograph. It almost seems
suspended in mid-air as it perches on a leafy weed and rests ever so briefly.

This Red-spotted Purple was equally obliging
only a few minutes after the Swallowtail moved on. It came to rest on a white
wildflower and invited me to admire it. FYI: No one seems to know why it is
called a Purple when it is clearly
blue!

There are several small
ponds in the conservation area. One of them has been drained the last two years
to allow vegetation to regenerate. A sturdy, wood rail fence has been
constructed along the edge of the pond where a trail runs adjacent to it. The
fence obviously says Stay Out in no
uncertain terms.

But I know from
experience that there are good sightings to be had off trail that I would miss
if I strictly follow the rules. So I squeezed around the end of the fence,
navigated some rocky ground and pushed through the weeds on the hunt for
off-trail gems. And I was rewarded.

This Milbert’s Tortoiseshell was cavorting in
the weeds and wildflowers in that forbidden area. I would never have spotted it
from the path – let alone get close enough for a photograph.

Hairstreaks are one of the most sought after
butterflies as they are uncommon and hard to find. As I was admiring the Tortoiseshell, I turned around and
spotted this nickel-sized Banded
Hairstreak feeding on a wildflower. It was the highlight of my day.

Life has rules for valid
reasons. Most often the best course of action is to follow them. But now and
then, life calls us to break the rules, leave the beaten path and go where we
are not supposed to go.

It is often when,
exercising our best judgment, we colour outside the lines that we experience
those memorable moments that make life truly worth living.

~  Now Available Online
from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of
Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also
the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which
was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s
website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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