As I worked in our yard several evenings ago, a flash of green down at boot level caught my eye. I stooped to pick up the dime-sized froggy, thinking I’d move him to a place where he wouldn’t accidentally get smooshed by a passing human foot. The creature was surprisingly calm in my hand, not seeming at all frightened by me, so I decided I’d take his picture.
We have a small Buddha statue on our front porch and I placed little Mr. Frog there. My green friend posed peacefully near the Buddha’s face; then I carefully moved him into the Buddha’s hand. The frog seemed content to perch there too.
About a year ago when we bought the Buddha statue and put it on our porch, it was partly to honor the traditions of our friends in the Seattle area Tibetan community. I’ve read that many Buddhists, particularly monks and lamas, go to great lengths not to harm any living creature, even insects. Taking pictures this week of that calm and apparently trusting frog, there with that statue, struck me as a fitting gesture to our friends.
I thanked the frog for being in my pictures; then I carried him off to the edge of the yard.
I put him on the ground and watched as he hopped away.
