E B White’s "Charlotte’s Web" tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered, Charlotte writes messages in her web praising him, such as "Some Pig", "Terrific", "Radiant", and "Humble", to persuade the farmer to let him live.
Of all the characters in the book, the spider Charlotte has by far the shortest lifespan; she is also the one with the most gratitude for life. In this classic film based on the book, Charlotte sings a poignant song as she nears her death. In it, she expresses a joyous and profound gratitude for the privilege of having been, if for just a brief while, ‘part of life’s eternal rhyme’. Charlotte uses her final moments to reaffirm her love of – and gratitude for – life, and to assert that, no matter how brief, it is a precious gift. In fact, the brevity of her time on earth seems to intensify her appreciation.
Like Charlotte, I have found that taking the time to feel gratitude for the good things in my life – right here and now – helps me appreciate the gift of life, even in its finitude, and minimises my frustrations about the aspects of life that fall short of my dreams and desires.
When E B White was asked why he had written "Charlotte's Web" (he also wrote "Stuart Little") which is so much more than just a children's book, he replied, "I haven't told why I wrote the book, but I haven't told why I sneeze, either. A book is a sneeze." All I can say to that is "Gesundheit!"
