Respite
Man oh man, it has been one of those days... We're switching over from cable TV to dish TV, and the installer needed a hand running the cable. (I've got way too much experience running cable to find the process anything but a hassle.) And that wasn't made any easier by the ice that was left by our last storm. And so it goes... Tomorrow is trash day... I'm a day late on my workout schedule... Dishes needed washing,.. Laundry needed doing... Nothing was going right for the wife at work... Blah, blah, blah ad nauseum. But then, one of these guys appeared on the front birdbath...
And for maybe 15 seconds I simply stared at the bird. And in that briefest of times, I unwound; I could feel the stress just drain away. Look, I've never pretended to be "Mr. Super Bird Addict". Since you're reading this, there's a fair chance that you're just like me - you enjoy the backyard feeders and the birds, but life goes on. I'm not about to blow $3,000 on a Peruvian birdwatching adventure, and you probably aren't either. But there is a certain, undeniable peace about birds. (I wonder how much my blood pressure dropped in just those 15 seconds?)
Ya know, we all have responsibilities, But there should be respites... I distinctly remember being in the first grade (I swear this story is true) and watching a seagull out the window. All I wanted to do was watch the creature until it disappeared. And that's what I did. The teacher was asking us some question about grades (and I was still struggling with the alphabet...) Anyway, she called on me, and I made up some answer. That was one of the only times in my life I've lied and not felt guilty about it afterwards. Those brief 60 seconds were between me and a bird...
Respite...
See you by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding
Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding
