Okay, so I wanted to share something I’ve been doing lately. It started a few weeks back when things felt… well, messy. Like I was trying to do too much and not really getting anywhere solid. You know that feeling? Just spinning plates.
Around that time, wasps kept showing up. Not in a scary, attack-mode way, thankfully, but just… present. One building a little nest near the window, a few buzzing around the garden flowers more than usual. Normally, I’d just ignore them or get mildly annoyed, but this time it felt different. Like a nudge.
So, I got this thought: wasp spirit animal. I’m not usually big into this stuff, honestly, but I was feeling stuck, so why not explore, right? Didn’t dive deep into books or websites, just kinda sat with the idea. What do wasps do?
My Little Wasp Observation Practice
I decided to actually pay attention. Instead of just seeing them as pests, I started watching them when I could. There’s this one spot on the porch where they sometimes land.
- First thing I noticed: They are incredibly focused. Just zeroed in on whatever task they’re doing – gathering material, checking out a spot, whatever. No hesitation.
- Second thing: They’re productive. Always building, searching, working. Relentless, almost.
- Third thing: They protect their space. Not aggressively looking for trouble, from what I saw, but definitely setting boundaries.
So, my “practice” wasn’t anything fancy. I literally just spent maybe 10-15 minutes a few times a week observing them. Then, I tried to think about that focus in my own day. When I felt scattered, I’d picture that wasp, just locked onto its task.
What Happened Next
It sounds a bit silly, maybe, but it actually helped. When I started working on a project, I tried to mimic that focused energy. Shut down other distractions. Just do the one thing for a set amount of time. Like the wasp scraping wood pulp, totally absorbed.
I also started thinking about boundaries. Was I letting too many things encroach on my time and energy? The wasp is pretty clear about its space. Maybe I needed to be clearer too, not in an aggressive way, but just more defined about what I was willing to take on.
The biggest shift? Probably realizing that being “busy” isn’t the same as being productive. Those wasps weren’t just buzzing around randomly; they were doing something specific. It made me look at my own to-do list and question what was actually moving things forward versus just making noise.
It’s not like I suddenly became super-humanly productive or anything. Life is still messy sometimes. But observing those wasps, thinking about their way of being… it gave me a different perspective. A reminder to be more intentional, more focused, and maybe a little bit better at protecting my own energy and time.
Still not sure I fully grasp the whole “spirit animal” thing, but the experience of paying attention to the wasp definitely gave me something useful to chew on. And I have a newfound respect for them, even if I still jump when they buzz too close!
