Ant by Maiki-Jane Blakeney

Years ago when I was a young lass, I was 19 to be exact... I had come home to Australia to live, my brother had been in a bit of trouble in England and my parents sent him home to Canberra to stay with our Grandparents. I decided to come with him so he wouldn’t be alone...
When we got home we were split up, my brother stayed with our Grandparents and I was sent to stay with my Aunt and her husband.

My brother was so angry he had retreated inside and as I was closest to him he would take his anger out on me...

My Aunt and her husband were desperately unhappy and on the verge of a divorce and everything was too much for my Grandparents who probably didn’t know what to do with either of us...

I was trying to find work as a hairdresser but my qualifications didn’t translate to Australia, I was going into town every day and going from salon to salon and asking for work. I was turned down place after place...
My Aunt had had enough of me being in her house with no rent and had asked me to leave... I had nowhere to go, my brother - the only person I had connections with was not talking to me, I was terribly home sick and now I was going to be potentially homeless...

It was just coming into June in Canberra and there was an ice cold wind blowing that seemed to cut through me to the bone, I managed to find a bit of pavement, next to the bus stop, that was sheltered from the freezing bite...I was on my way into town to make a last ditch attempt at getting a job.

I was sitting in deep contemplation, wondering what the point was, why was I here?

Would anyone care if I wasn’t - feeling completely isolated, I was wondering if I should step in front of the bus instead of on it...
I had been staring at my feet and just as this rather alarming thought came in to my mind I noticed an ant walking towards my boot.

It was trying to get past my foot on its way to somewhere... I started to block its path with my foot but every time I did this it would look for another way, I became totally absorbed in our little game and continued on until I found myself smiling and talking to Ant, ‘Hey you’re not going to win!’

But Ant refused to give up and no matter which way I blocked he would find another...

I realised I was feeling rather warm and looked up, it was a beautiful day, the turquoise sky was expansive, the sun felt like it was shining just on me, the trees were dancing in the wind, singing a song - the meaning of which was just on the edge of my consciousness... I looked back at Ant and in my momentary distraction he had managed to scale my boot and get to the other side, ‘well done Ant you got me’ I grinned.

In that moment I instantly came out of my isolation - I had made a connection, I had
been shown by the ant “where there is a will there is a way” and “to keep going until a way was made clear...”

The bus arrived and took me to town, I was still thinking about the Ant. I got off the bus at the wrong stop and noticed a salon that I had
missed, I thought to myself ‘what the heck?’ and went in...

I got the job and have never looked back.

I also have never felt alone since.  When Ant spoke to me he made me realise that all nature is connected and there is no separation...

Maiki