From The Storyteller
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Rolly Polly
If the words “Rolly Polly” do not give you a smile, you have, at least from my point of view, missed out on some of life’s greatest gifts. “Rolly Pollys” (aka Oniscus asellus) are little black bugs that live under things like rocks in a yard. Whether they do anything to save the world is beyond me, but I do know they roll into a ball when touched, and they are one of the things that have made my life great. “Rolly Pollys” were, for at least a short time in my life, one of my best play pals. I can remember crawling around in my yard with them inches from my nose. They gave me the urge to hold them, play with them, watch them roll up, and ultimately eat them. Most of my up close and personal times with Rolly Pollys occurred when I was approximately 2+. I think it had something to do with the amount of adult supervision I had at that age, still even with that limited exposure, whenever I encounter them now, I smile. On occasions when I encounter one, I can see myself at age 2+ crawling on the ground in my backyard, with that “cute” little Rolly Polly right in front of me. I also imagine the look on my mother’s face when I picked that little guy up and popped him into my mouth. That look still makes me smile. Which naturally brings me to December and the beginning of the winter season. Yes, it’s that time of the year when cold winds and shorter days make an extra smile or two help the day go better. No Rolly Pollys in your life? Then dig out a few of those old family photos, Because - memories really are the gold we mine as we age. Moral: Mining gold is good for the soul. |