This morning, I sat on the balcony, in witness of the light rain. I had been noticing lately, that I haven’t felt so comfortable, not so readily wanting to sit on the balcony, in the morning. I’ve always loved sharing the first hours of any day sitting outside, soaking in the peace and wonders of the natural world out there.
I live in a place where my balcony overlooks a large pond, visited by any number of wading, perching and predatory birds. The pond is inhabited by Turtles and a few small Alligators, night time often blessed with a chorus of a multitude of Frogs. Seems idyllic, save for the sound of tires and loud engines on the road directly across the pond from me. Lately, I’ve noticed the sound of traffic being a large bother, a deterrent to the peace I’ve known in my visits from the balcony.
This morning, Egret came to visit, yet stayed at the far end of the pond. Unlike his normal visits to the pond, whereas he would stealthily stride around the water’s edge, occasionally pausing, staring, slowly stretching out that long neck, darting his head to the water, retrieving something deemed palatable (in the Egret world). Today he was stationary.
He seemed content to hang out in the rain, neck retracted, not bothered by the quick and noisy movements of nearby traffic. Rather, he paused, withdrawn in his way, until the rain all but temporarily stopped. With that, he lifted his great white wings and flew out across the pond, upward in a full circle and off to some other site.
Today, I seemed to be in synch with Egret. Today, when feeling my energy heightened, I breathed into my core, withdrawing my energy down out of my shoulders, neck and head, grounding myself. There I found the contentment of sitting with the rain.
Peter J Quandt