Holding a small pebble
in my hand, I observe
it doesn’t look much, but
it’s smooth to the touch, and it shines
in the last rays of day.
It’s been ground
against others of its kind
in stormy waters, it’s been
tossed around by fierce winds
and caressed by sun.
It’s one among many stones
some rough, some smooth, and all of them
together form the beach
I realize this tiny pebble is me
we are all in this together.
This morning when I took a quick walk on the beach and in the nature reserve, I witnessed something really funny. A Reddish Egret, not a permanent resident in the salt marsh, was walking frantically back and forth in the shallow water. Fast. Like he was crazy busy. That’s what Mondays do to you, I thought.
Then, suddenly, he went into a wild dance. Feathers stood up on his head and he flexed his wings vigorously, one at the time. Swinging like he was hearing an inner tune.
Right after the brief dance, he turned around with lightning speed and picked up something eatable from the water. I wonder if the dance was to put the prey under his spell?
I have not seen anything like that before. I was laughing, LOL’ing in fact, if you know what I mean.
I had to do an extra 1/2 mile swing to see if Papa Osprey was still hanging around on his favorite palm trunk.
And there he was! Handsome as always. It’s nice to see he didn’t move very far. He didn’t talk today, just nodded a greeting. I guess it was getting too hot.
I hope your week has started well. Maybe with a wild dance just because it’s summer?
What is this?
Where should I sit?
I’ll figure it out
Hit or miss
My face will lit
and then I’ll shout:
I did it!
I saw the birds fly high
I heard the fish jump up
Calling for people to join them
Right at the edge of water.
To light a portable grill
Set up a picnic table
Open a bottle of Moschofilero
Taste the essence of summer.
Generally speaking, focus is the central point of attention or activity. We may agree that it’s important to focus on whatever we want to get done. I’d like to add that how we focus on something may actually determine whether or not we’ll live to tell the story. Seriously.
I learned this lesson many years ago in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Before dinner on our first day at the safari lodge we opted for a sunset game drive. We climbed into a typical “safari jeep” ready for an adventure. Our guide drove us around the park and we saw many different types of antelopes, zebras and water buffaloes. Very exciting! But more excitement was to come.
About an hour into the drive, our guide told us that before we’d return to the lodge for dinner, he would drive us down to the Luangwa River to see the sunset. It was spectacular, he said, and we might spot animals who come there to drink in the early evening hours.
A few minutes later we approached the river banks. Already from afar, we could see a herd of elephants crossing the river. We stopped on the high river bank and the driver left the engine running (we were in the wild). My hubby, who sat in the front passenger seat, rigged his camcorder.
The view was magical. On the left side of the vehicle we could see elephants of all sizes: large adults, youngsters and adorable babies. And on the right side a gorgeous African sunset. My hubby was recording for dear life.
That’s when we spotted a group of female lions. They were basking themselves in the last rays of the setting sun, probably strategizing about the upcoming hunt. They were very close and very calm. We watched them breathlessly from the relative safety of our vehicle.
Suddenly my hubby moved. His eye still on the viewfinder he stepped down from the open jeep to get a better view. And landed right in front of the lions! He was so focused on capturing the sunset that he had not seen what all others saw, the lions. In an instant, he was the easy catch, a free meal, so to speak. I was about to scream, but the driver was faster. In a fraction of a second and without a word he grabbed my hubby’s arm and pulled him back into the vehicle. Then he backed out of there, slowly and calmly.
That was a close call. My tiny lesson was that how we focus on something matters. Of course we should focus on what needs to get done. But not so narrowly that we lose sight of what is going on around us. Things can change fast.
It’s fashionable.
Hiding one’s real self
Behind a carefully crafted façade
Emotions covered, heart protected
Mind closed to deeper interactions
Tears hidden by dazzling smiles
Blending in.
It was a fairly stormy week. On so many levels. Sun and the blue skies returned just in time for the weekend. It was soothing to sit on the sand and listen to the ocean waves rolling in.
When it’s sunny it’s hot. Lots of people were having fun in the water and on the water too. Birds were taking frequent baths.
This “new-guy-on-the-block” osprey had just been taking a cooling bath and sat under nature’s hair dryer next to the bay. He was shaking his wings and airing his feathers. And keeping an eye on me in between.
I also spotted papa osprey again! He had taken over the coveted curved “seat” on a dead palm tree. He had been swimming too, but was already almost dry. Still preening his feathers when I arrived. He discovered me soon enough and said his hello 🙂 Lovely as always.
In the nature reserve, the ducks were having a family reunion. On the water, of course. They were taking turns in soaking their heads in the water. Or maybe it was a diving competition?
One mallard was not playing. He had guard duty. The spoonbill was sleeping. Too much sun makes you sleepy.
I think it’ll soon be the time to put Bumble on guard duty too and call it a day.
Have a wonderful week ahead. ♥ Tiny
How much is 99 cents? Bumble provides a short piece of economic theory…and reminds that today, Sunday, is the LAST day to get the Kindle Edition of his book for 99 cents.
Hi there! This is Bumble again. The rescue dog with a blog and wry humor – according to a recent Editorial Review of my book. I admit my humor is a bit dry, or wry, but that’s me. You get what you see. I wish all humans were that way too. But I’ve learned that some people have many faces, like the woman in my first house. She could be so mean to me and my sister when we were alone in the house with her, but when she took us out or to the doctors, she put on another face. A loving human’s. And she lied out of her ears to always look good to others. Oh, well. With 20/20 hind sight, as mom always says, I’m happy the woman left us at the shelter that Christmas Eve many years ago. We both found our loving forever homes with the help of their wonderful…
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What a wonderful, touching story and life lesson! This young man’s redefinition of happiness is spot on. Looking forward to reading his book too. I’ve tried to internalize the saying that 10% of my life is what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. It’s not easy…but has so much potential. Great to have you back!!
The greatest privilege of being a flight attendant is crossing paths with passengers who completely transform your day life…
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Jon was born three months early and diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctors told his parents the deformation in his brain’s frontal lobe was such that he’d likely never be more than a vegetable.
They were wrong.
Jon rolled down the jetway in a motorized wheelchair that allowed him to stand upright, looking like Robert Downey Jr. in the movie Iron Man. His megawatt smile and larger-than-life personality amplified my superhero impression. When I asked where he was traveling, he told me he’d been selected as one of seventy college students nationwide to participate in a five-day leadership conference. He’d be giving several motivational speeches.
“I love talking. Put a tree in front of me, I’ll talk to it.” He laughed. “My plan, once I get my master’s, is…
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