Lizard Sitting

Last night I stayed up late with a lizard.

I found him (?!?) behind the door in our bathroom, tired and injured. My guess is that he found his way in, and then my cats found him. I can't imagine what that was like.

Anyway, he was so tired and weak, it was easy to get him into a "Tupperware" container to take outside. As I did so, however, he climbed out of the container and up on to my wrist.

For a moment we looked at each other while we each decided what we would do. I decided to do nothing, and let the lizard decide what was most important to him. He watched me, wide-eyed - half-afraid I was going to eat him, I suppose. When he realized I intended him no harm he relaxed, and let the warmth of my body provide him with strength and healing.

He let me carry him through the house that way, and after a brief conversation with my husband, I decided to sit with the injured lizard and allow him the chance to rest. What an amazing thing that was. Every little while he would feel warmed up enough to move up my arm and on to the table next to me, but each time he realized that he was still injured and too tired to get back to his life yet. So he allowed me to lift him back to my skin each time, where he'd watch me for a little while and then close his eyes and rest. I also tried a couple of times to find him a warm and safe place outside to rest, but each time he crawled further up my body and looked at me, as if to say, please let me stay a while. So I did.

We sat together for quite a while, but eventually other responsibilities called me - if nothing else it was well past when I should have gone to sleep. So we reached a compromise. After a little coaxing from me he found that he could warm himself on the top rim of the lampshade on the little table next to us, so he made himself comfortable and went back to sleep. He was still there (and alive) this morning when I came back into the room, but eventually I found that he had moved on. Hopefully he went out the nearby door (open to the warm spring weather) into the sunshine.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to sit with this lizard and be mindful of my experience. I am grateful that I was able to share a little love and warmth with him. I wish him the best.

Om Mani Padme Hum....