It had rained, and the snails were out.
I noticed them as I walked along the damp sidewalk to load the kids in the car. Maybe a dozen snails lined the path from the back door to the vehicle, all different sizes.
I told the boys to look out for them when we got home from preschool pickup, to make sure they didn’t crunch them as they bolted from the car to the house. We bent down close to the ground to inspect each one, noticing their size and how slow or “fast” they were moving.
My eldest caught on quickly as far as remembering to walk carefully as he went to the house, to be on the lookout for the tiny visitors. My younger son, still a bit less spatially aware, had to be prodded side to side and forward and backward to make sure he didn’t annihilate an unsuspecting gastropod on his way inside.
The rain went away for a day or two, and so did the snails. Then, it rained again, and the snails returned. Again, we all tiptoed delicately to get in the car to go to preschool.
That afternoon, as we tried to all get out of the car and into the house, I was getting annoyed with one child’s glacial pace and another’s tired and hungry screams, and there was a lot to carry inside and it was hot and there were mosquitos. I hurriedly loaded bags onto my shoulders and lugged one of the kids inside.
My son screeched in horror: “Mommy! Did you look out for the snails?! You might have crunched them!”
I had forgotten. Luckily, when I retraced my steps, I was able to confirm that all our miniature garden friends were alive and well, shells and soft slimy bodies intact. I had gotten so frustrated with the tasks at hand, so laser-focused on Just. Getting. Inside. that I had forgotten to look out for the fragile little creatures underfoot.
The interaction with my son struck me.
I want to be focused, as much as possible, on what is most important and urgent. The snails said:
Are we about to go chew your perennials to pieces? Probably. Just maybe remember to look out for the vulnerable living beings that might line – or pave – the path in front of you.
