Walking. It is so easy to forget…

Posted on by Live & Learn

And here I go, 1,292 consecutive (almost) days on this daybreak morning walk at Cove Island Park. Like in a row.

There she stood on the dock, a Great Blue Heron, vigilant, stoic, absorbing a light drizzle.Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for what?

I walk.

Compared to yesterday’s magical sunrise, today, TODAY, was just painfully uninspiring —  with the bonus of rain spitting all over the camera gear. It took all of me, all that I had, to keep forward motion and not take a u-turn back to the exit.

I walk.

A supersized BK soft drink cup lay on the path, teethmarks on the recyclable straw where the pollutant ingested the soda. Trash bins everywhere around this park, yet here it is.  “I’m still willing to buy that life is beautiful if you dress it up right, that people are basically good, or that love can save you. I still want to believe.” (Jonathan Evison, Again and Again )

I bend over to grab wet leaves to protect my hand, I grab the cup, walk to the trash bin, and toss it in. My hands now wet, maybe sticky, seek relief.

I look left, then right and then behind me there’s a humble, Japanese maple tree. Excuse me Shinto, but would you mind? I grab its trunk, rub my hand up and down to dry it, and then I find I’m having trouble releasing my grip.  The bark, its skin, skin to skin with mine – – and below my feet, I’m standing on its fallen red leaves — and, then here it comes – – an indescribable, but remarkable mood shift. The warm spirit of this little Japanese maple tree transferring to, to me? Now DK, really, WTH is this that you are feeling?

I walk.

“It is so easy to forget. In a worldly life, to attend to these miracles. But no matter. They are there waiting, when one returns. Dawn is another. The incomparable beauty of every early. morning, before human beings are awake! But it all comes back to the same thing, there’s no escaping the glory of Life. Let us engage to live for ever. For ever is not half long enough for me.” (Katherine Mansfield)

I’m exiting the park, and look for her, my Great Blue Heron. There she is. Standing in same spot. Looking in same direction. Her dark eyes vigilant, spot me as I hoist up the camera, the zoom locks in on her dark eye, and I pause for a moment before hitting the shutter…

She’s waiting for what?

Another Miracle.

Photos from this morning’s walk here.

39 thoughts on “Walking. It is so easy to forget…”

  1. I love it. This post supports an old belief of mine that if you look – really look – and are patient, you will always see something that makes you smile, even if it’s just something small. There’s a marshy area that I used to drive by every day on my way to work, and every single time I went by, I saw “something” of interest. I just had to remember to really look.

  2. The Japanese Maple was hugging the Canadian Maple. You were within her field, especially that you were standing in her leaves.

    Did you see Avatar?

  3. I really love this and that Katherine Mansfield quote is perfect. But here is how my weird mind works, I read “I spotted her getting out of the car @ 5:43 am in light drizzle.” and I immediately imagined the heron getting out of the car. I loved that image!

  4. Beautifully written David.
    A wonderful photograph as well.

    I swear I felt a warmth inside as I read this.

    I’m so glad your talents are not being wasted…
    …because you have chosen to share them here with us.

    Peace.
    -Paul

  5. Hi, Dave ~ Love this post. In the spirit of serendipity, I received something in my email today that’s of a similar thought. It was about Glimmers. Glimmers are “tiny moments of goodness.” It’s from Deb Dana who is an LCSW. She focuses on helping trauma sufferers find these moments of joy which make us happier and leads to our better health. There’s a lot of wonderful science in it. I think today that was a pretty lovely glimmer. Glimmer, miracle… to me, one and the same. Thanks for sharing it with us.

  6. My guess the Heron was waiting for an unsuspecting fish to come into view for breakfast. One of my favorite sayings, regarding the Maple, is that if you can’t change the facts, you still can change your attitude. Good pivot, DK. Good pivot. 👍

      1. “Patience”… one of three words that I have concluded are very important for survival in this crazy world: “Acceptance, patience, and perspective.” (and of course I can never remember these words of wisdom and times when they would be helpful to me

  9. Dave, I‘m so proud of you. To me, it looks as if you‘re having a gradual shift of How to Live Life. And it looks promising, so good, so powerful. Now that you‘re rubbing the bark of a tree, I think you‘re on your way! To where? Don‘t ask me; I‘m just a distant but attentive observer. But it‘s a good way.
    We have small herons too nearby where I live. They are SO stoic, you think they must be frozen in their place, but they just wait…. Patience!

    1. yes.  Your thoughts so reminds me of:

      Everything comes from intuition, some deep incontrovertible source knows all.

      — Enrica Soma, former ballerina, in “A Story Lately Told: Coming of Age in Ireland, London, and New York,” by Anjelica Huston. (Scribner; November 19, 2013)

  12. Ridiculously late out of the gate…maybe it’s my anticipation of reading about your walks, maybe the words paired with the pics, maybe an ever-increasing desperation to doggedly (obsessively?) find the moments in between where miracles can be found….thanks for sharing your mornings, Dave…

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