Grasshoppers

A grasshopper got stuck in my car on Tuesday. At first, I was scared by a bug frantically jumping around the car while I drove. Then I moved from scared to sad--a bug frantically jumping around the car while I drove, trying so hard to get out, but failing with every thud on the windshield. When I stopped, I tried to guide the grasshopper out of the car, but I couldn't get him to understand that he needed to go toward the open window instead of the closed windshield. So I left my windows open all night, thinking that he'd eventually figure it out. He didn't. The grasshopper scared me again yesterday morning when he started frantically jumping around the car while I drove. Trying but failing again to guide him out of the car and still feeling sad for his diligent but misguided attempts at freedom, I decided to leave my windows open during the day yesterday, hoping that he'd eventually figure things out. He did! The grasshopper was gone when I got in the car to go home yesterday afternoon!... Sometimes, I think we're all just a bunch of grasshoppers--hopping around in search of freedom. Sometimes, we find ourselves in places we don't want to be, stuck. Sometimes, we try the same damaging escape over and over again, not realizing that our attempts are futile. Sometimes, we don't realize we need help. Sometimes, we refuse to follow the help that's given. Sometimes, we have to figure things out on our own. And sometimes, just sometimes, when we figure things out, we realize that we are not in the place where we started and that, come what may, we must move forward from there... Here's to hopping, my friends--out open windows and into the great unknown.