'The Beetle 🐞 on the walk'

 Today being Holi, I woke up early to finish my daily ritual of Morning walk, the sun was still under the dawn-wrap🏙️. As I walked on, ahead on the curb, in the backdrop of Bougainvilleas of various shades - reds, violets,orange - were the rows of Dhaliyas, Sweet peas, Dogflowers, Poppies , Magnolias, Pansies and Nasturtiums a breathtaking sight it was almost magical with butterflies🦋 and insects 🐝flitting and flirting around and having their fill. A sweet fragrance hung in the air as I continued my walk, conscious of benign benevolence of nature...!!! I  had just about  completed my walk on the paved track designated for walkers, when I gave into the thought of walking 🐾barefooted...

 The morning was completely awesome - overcast 🌫️sky and trees 🌳swaying 🍃gently to the cool winds  and the green grass inviting - with dew drops overhanging like small dangling pearls- dotted with wild yellow flowers. This magnificent spectacle was  totally magnetic.  I took off my shoes  on  the sun-deprived sides where there were scattered tufts of grass. Sole aim being to relive the  childhood🤼 memories and the feel of playing on the grass- the moist velvety softness of it...!

And as imagined, it turned out to be truly wonderfull and rejuvenating experience.  But as all good things come to an end so did my soil soaked walk! I bent down to wear and tie my shoes,  on the ground my sight was caught by  a small  beetle (🐞) trudging along - a rounded shiny smooth  mobile coral ...!

Its dark orange presence against the grey soil mesmerized me😲...I sat down on the bench my eyes riveted to this 🐞 .. who,

Probably, wasn't even aware of me 😃...! As the experience unfolded, the 🐞 covered the ground slowly and did not skirt anything it climbed whatever came it's way...coarse mud, small  pebble, tuft of grass. As it climbed the grass blades, it slipped as the blade of grass gave way... but with  reseilence  it lifted itself  regained its  balance  and continued to walk on.  The keen  interest the 🐞 had generated in me,  propelled me to keep time in my watch.  The beautiful 🐞 kept on  walking for around 90 seconds was, now again on a larger tuft of grass. This time it climbed a  sturdier grass-blade and perched itself on it to rest. After around 15 seconds out came it's wings, the🐞 flapped  them in a semi circular motion- left and  right ...as if to dust itself or 🤔to aerate them or 🤫may be as an antenna to check the surroundings for the next leg of trudging... I was totally smitten 🥰 by what I was witnessing. The urge now was to see wether in the next , 2 minutes the 🐞 would repeat 🔁 it's behaviour of the last 2 minutes of which I had been a witness 😌...!!!

My STAR(🌟) 🐞was on its journey again.. Not stopping or skirting anything again, it moved on straight, no deflections - all tufts of grass it scaled  and  walked on... scaling with its delicate legs- sometimes slipping, sometimes inverting and then rebalancing to upright position again. I was reminded  of a small monkey who, under the vigil of its mother had froliced and circused  for long, on the branches of  a 'Pilkhan' tree as if practicing trapeze-ing. My Little 🌟🐞 was also practicing the ♻️same ... swift and suave  as  much as it could be !!! 

Again after walking on for about 95 odd seconds it perched itself to rest  for about 15 seconds. Out came the translucent wings in a circular motion to announce its readiness to carry on its journey further. I forcefully readied  myself to 🙋liberate it, out of my vigil for its  journey👣 ahead...to wherever🌈!!!

This morning has given me a special awareness that uncountable, magnificent, known and unknown life forms are cohabiting our wonderful earth only if we care enough to notice and enrich our lives  wholesomely...

May this Holi imbue your life with  exuberance of fragrance and  abundance of colours...