Local Visitors
Our Local Visitors
The past few weeks I have had some local visitors stopping by. Three turkeys have made their way across the mountain road in front of my home leaving adorable little footprints in the snow. I dug out a bag of bird seed and sprinkled some on the ground outside my office window. They keep coming back and I keep buying more bird seed now. A few days ago I heard a lot of chirping and looked out to find that some of the mountain song birds had found the seed as well. That made me smile. I may have to start getting bigger bags of seed.
Then this morning I woke to the sound of cawing and racket. The noise sounded very near. I walked to the window to find about 30 velvet black ravens scattered about the yard. The turkeys had joined them too. Now there are four turkeys. The slightest movement at the window made the ravens a little cautious. Their instincts honed and tuned to the slightest changes in their surroundings made it seem as if they could see me through the walls of the house. They looked wild and alive with a passion I envy.
I like the “gatherings” that seem to form here outside my window. I sit in the quiet. The sun touches the Pinion and Juniper in the distance while the trees makes deep purple shadows on the snow. I hear the wind and became mesmerized while watching the movements and interactions of the birds. The entire world seems to stand still and be contained in the moment. Nature’s masterful execution of life unfolding creates a sense of rhythm and cyclical dance within me. There is an ebbing and flowing sensation, like the ocean waves – lulling and hypnotizing.
The wisdom of nature makes sense to me. The reflections I see in the birds and the sky and the wind speak to something much deeper within me. I adore the sense of the wild. There is a balance to nature that I am drawn to.
I have come to believe that my spiritual path is all about balance. How do we balance our fears and dreams, our joys and sorrows, our personal goals and the needs of others; our drive to accomplish and our need to rest? I am not even speaking about grand things but rather simple daily things such as how to balance my need to make a simple living with the desire to simply go walk in the woods today. How do I remain true to myself and not offend another? How do I take care of daily tasks while being mindful of daily miracles? Today I don’t have the answers. I am content just to sit and let my mind wander into “no thoughts” – aware of only the rainbow-colored brilliance of the ravens’ wings as they dance in the sun.
The web of life expands out in many directions in a life – softly spinning back into moments such as these that leave me only feeling grateful to have witnessed it. It reminds me of a poem by Harriet Kofalk. She says
“…as I set forth
into the day
the birds sing
with new voices
and I listen
with new ears
and give thanks.”
It also brings to mind a poem by the poet Mary Oliver called “Mindful” which a dear friend once shared with me.
Mindful
Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?
~ Mary Oliver ~
May you find a moment today to be witness to a blade of grass or instructed by a bird. May you weave and weave the web today.
In peace,
Lori Coon
Executive Director