The Wonders of a Palm Tree Habitat

I’m sure I won’t make any friends while waiting for the shuttle by staring at a decaying palm tree in a hypnotic-like trance. But this tree, this dilapidated, rotting palm tree, is more than just a tree. It’s an ecosystem, a shelter, a sanctuary, for numerous amounts of lizard families. Little anoles inhabit this tree carcass and spend their days using it as a source of refuge from busy college students walking on their territory.

I spent about 30 minutes today observing their life patterns. If you ever want to truly understand the frailty of life, watch lizards. Their actions are thought out and deliberate, each movement precise- either out of defense or predatory advancements. I watched them eat, I watched them bathe in the sun, I watched them scale trees, I watched them chase each other; all slow thoughts but quick actions, rapidly fleeing at the first threat of danger.

I’ll never know why, but the life of a lizard intrigues me and makes me defensive for their cause. As I prepared to load the shuttle, I watched a distracted student beeline straight through the lizards’ safety zone, like some sort of quarterback with a football and a 20 yard dash to the end zone. I watched small brown flashes flee in the opposite direction and scramble for safety in a mad dash. I wanted to yell after him and tell him what a dumbass he was for invading their sanctuary, but I pulled myself together and made the smart decision to keep my trap shut. Now, I’m not the kind of person to be any sort of activist or protester for any cause. Ever. Well, except Jesus. Anyways, all I’m saying is that we need to be more aware of our surroundings. I’m not going to start saying “save the trees” or walking around with picket signs and handing out buttons for support, but sometimes we just need to sit down and appreciate what we have and all the wonders that this world gives us. Like lizards. 

Jerry’s Anticipation of Extraordinary Crusades- What I Think the Guy Next to me on the Bus Did Today

Jerry had a preference to live a life dedicated to random routines, meaning he only had patterns in a few areas of his life. For instance, every day he was up by 8- just as he was this Monday morning. He crawled out of bed, gathered his blue checkered button down and a pair of boxer briefs, and jumped in the shower, as he did every morning. He questioned the day for a little bit while shampooing his scalp thoroughly, but was soon done comtemplating his plans. He toweled off and walked to the kitchen to warm up a toaster strudel. Normally, a pop tart would have sufficed, but he needed the good stuff for today.

He had planned his day around making a trip to the comic shop. Around 9 he left his humble yet tidy sanctuary and biked to the shop a few blocks away. He walked briskly in, already knowing what he needed. The latest Spiderman comic was in. He’d reserved it over a week ago, and could barely contain the anticipation as his hands cradled the plastic-wrapped comic. Graciously, he paid the unenthused shop worker, gently placed the comic in his worn denim backpack, and biked off to campus. A day of classes meant the comic would have to wait until later.

As Jerry hustled down the street towards campus, his girlfriend Denise texted him and asked if they could meet during his break between classes. Not wanting to disappoint the persistant girl, he begrudgingly agreed, even adding a smiley emoticon, just to make her smile.

Jerry sat in his first class of the day- an elective on restaurant management- around 10:30. It was hard to stomach the boredom, but he put on a good face for the sweet old lady giving her time to lecture. Around noon he was released and headed to the eatery where he had agreed to meet Denise. She greeted him with a smile and a peck on the cheek. He blushed a little. The grabbed a meal and found a somewhat acceptable table in the back among the rest of the mad house. As Denise talked about her classes, her friends, her foot pain, and her other random antecdotes, Jerry sat and listened. He acted interested, asking an occaisional question or nodding when appropriate, but all he could think about was curling up on a bench and grasping his recently collected treasure. He wanted nothing more than to drink in the latest Spiderman crusades, word by word. Around 1:30, Denise decided she was done talking and scampered off after hugging Jerry goodbye. He watched her leave, forgetting for only a split second about Spiderman. But after Denise’s long brown hair and ivory skin vanished among the crowd, Jerry snapped back into reality, and realized he had to be on a shuttle in fifteen minutes. During the 35 minute shuttle he caught up on some last minute reading that he’d mistakenly neglected. He got to the campus and sat through two more hours of classes. He was careful to pay attention and not let his mind wander to Peter Parker and his attempts to save the city; these classes were more daunting and needed the majority of his mental capacity.

It was now 7:30, and Jerry was tired and felt a gnawing in his stomach. He shuffled towards the bus, ready to pull out his plastic wrapped bundle and sink into this oblivious state of mind. As he took a seat on the bus, Jerry took a deep breath, reached into his bag, and pulled out his Spiderman comic. He admired it, turning it in different directions and mildly caressing the cover. Gingerly, he pulled the comic out of its casing and began reading, flipping each page with care. Interrupted only twice by minor phone calls, Jerry read the entire comic front to back. And when he finished, he read it all again.