One of the things I’ve learned about since I first came to the Caribbean is lizards. At first, I was enamored with the large iguanas. They are so prehistoric, Godzilla-like. I liked them at first, mostly because of their novelty. But then the novelty wore off and I learned how destructive they are – in the Spring, they dig deep, deep holes. Sometimes these caves are seven or eight feet in length, and at the end of them, is a clutch of sixty or more eggs, ready to spew forth a whole new company of neon green babies to contend with. Not my friends since I live on the side of a hill. Karl and I enjoy harassing the iguanas now, and do so whenever we see one.
There are two other kinds of lizards I live with, though, and both of these I think are really cool. We have geckos and anoles. The geckos are shy. (Well, not really, they are nocturnal, and I’m not!) I don’t see them often, but when I do they make me laugh with their woggly gait and big, bulbous toes. My favorite, though, are anoles. These little guys live, mostly, on our patio and around the outside of our house. They are diurnal (new word for me…means active in the day – that’s me!), so we spend a lot of time together. I appreciate them because they eat bugs and also because they are just fun to watch. I will admit that I am projecting human traits on all three of our lizard companions as we coexist, but I’ve come to believe that there are several lessons that I can learn from them.
- Keep quiet. I read in Wikipedia that some lizards make a noise, but I’ve never knowingly heard it. As far as my experience goes, lizards are silent. How many times would it have been better for me to keep my mouth shut?
- Keep your eyes open. Interestingly, geckos don’t have eyelids, but even though iguanas and anoles do, all three are very conscious of their surroundings. It’s nearly impossible to sneak up on a lizard, you can’t get very close before they take evasive action. So often, I am clueless simply because I don’t pay close attention.
- Don’t hold on too tightly. When it gets into a tight or dangerous situation, an anole can drop its tail off. Left behind, wiggling all on its own, the tail serves as a wonderful distraction while the little guy gets away. How many times do I stubbornly hold on to an unproductive thought or worry when I’d be better off jettisoning it?
- Have a thick skin. Iguanas have tough hide. Getting my feeling hurt is often a choice I make.
- Know your limits. From my perspective, anoles are fearless. They climb to the top of our house, they perch upside down above my head on the ceiling, they jump farther than they should be able to. They do all this without any outward show of hesitation or second guessing. How do they do it? They try. They just do. How many times do I limit myself and what I can accomplish because I doubt? I doubt God’s provision, I doubt my own abilities. I don’t see something as possible and therefore it isn’t.
- Live for today. Lizards do not prepare for winter, they don’t store food. An ant strolls by, and an anole runs over and eats it. In the evening, anoles hang out by our porch light and gobble up little moths and mosquitos. They live in the moment, munching as they go, chasing each other over the patio furniture (and me if I happen to be sitting in the way!). They are footloose and fancy free. I like that.
