The Thought Vultures
As I was held captive by insomnia and extreme migraine pain last night, I wandered through all the empty bedrooms in my house… two rooms that used to be full of life are now empty as their inhabitants have moved on to their new chapters in life. It’s the circle of life, and I am proud of my sons and the men they have become.
But that alluring call of the 3 am Past Regrets siren wrapped me up in guilt and misery for a little while. I wished that I was more reflective and humble during my days of child-raising. Would I be more attentive? Did my children need more from me? Was I a failure in their eyes? The thoughts kept stubbornly circling around in my head like a flock of vultures overhead. How do I break from this pattern of insanity? I can’t let the thought vultures consume my joy.
I looked through the photos in my phone… of happy memories of vacations, ceremonies, graduations, etc. My sons look happy, healthy, and content. Then I came to this photo and I had to laugh…
Exactly 10 years ago, after enduring a long, hot summer, I took my boys to hike the Goat Camp trail in the White Tank Mountains. It’s an unusually steep trail for the second mile, and comes to the top of one of the peaks that look out over the Sonoran Desert and Phoenix. We were taking a break before going back to the car, and suddenly heard a clicking sound from under a bush. My first instinctive thought was that it was a rattlesnake, but then realized it would be rattling, not clicking. I looked under the bush and found the most fascinating creature moving around. It’s many jointed legs would click and clack as it moved about. Thinking back at the millipedes that I would capture as a kid in Washington, I made the assumption that it was in the same family. I had a gut feeling that it was a unique desert find, and I should document it. “Boys, get in closer so we can take a picture with you and this creature!” They suspiciously looked at the foot-long creepy clicking creature. My youngest son, Nathan, was quite vocal about his thoughts: “Mom, are you sure it’s not venomous?” Me: “Nah, I used to play with these in the forests. You’ve got nothing to worry about!” He looked at me anxiously and refused to get closer to the creature. I took the above picture and we headed down the hill.
After we arrived home, Nathan went straight to the computer to look it up. I hear a yell, “MOM, YOU TRIED TO KILL US!!!” We look at the Google image and matching caption: “Giant Desert Centipede… most venomous centipede in the world.” Me: “Oops! Well, at least we survived!!” (The photo below is mine.)
Not the best photo, but I didn’t have a zoom lens or fancy camera… but I was very close to the Most Venomous Centipede in the World… oops!
At least the Thought Vultures couldn’t rob my joy of providing my children with desert adventures and fun outdoor memories. Although I don’t think Nathan has forgiven me yet with the “brush with death!”
FUN FACTS:
A group of vultures is called a kettle, committee, or wake.
Giant Desert Centipedes have 20 pairs of legs.
Although venomous, they have not killed a human.
A fossil of a centipede is dated to 300 million years ago.
