-
Winter’s Gone
Winter may not be your favorite season, but finding a way to enter into it makes it a lot better. Kids love winter. They find ways to play in the snow. Aubrey (the female heron) and her male friend have kept me busy this winter following them as they sat out migration to stay here and live in cold rain, ice and snow. They challenged me to find answers to why they can live with their feet in the cold water of a lake and why they spend so much time fishing. As for the legs–it turns out they have a separate circulation system in their legs which moves independently…
-
What gives me hope?
For now I am spending part of my day observing birds and most particularly herons. Why this sudden love for herons and one specifically? What is the purpose of spending so much time watching her? First of all, I would say we watch to learn. I am not trained in the study of birds (ornithology) and I don’t want to google everything. So I return again and again to see the bird and watch what and why she is doing what she is doing. Jane Goodall is one of my favorite writers and speakers. When you listen to what she says about chimpanzees and nature you hear hope and positivity.…
-
Gratitude
Oliver Sacks was a neurologist, naturalist and prolific writer. Facing the end of his life, a few years ago he wrote about his love for life and his gratitude for living. It is this sentiment that I wish to end this calendar year and begin a new one. He writes: “My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. Love has been received and love has been given. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.” Deleted: –Oliver Sacks “Gratitude” I agree with Sacks in that I feel enormous gratitude even in this past…
