They were loud, busy with each other, and completely indifferent to me, and watching them I remembered that kinship with the living world happens at this scale or not at all.
Thank you for your living, loving words, Jeffrey. I was walking a familiar path, mind intent on leaving the forest & entering the small meadow. Then Nighthawk flushed feet from my feet, long brown wings flapping silently up and over the hill, startling me & stopping me in my tracks. I studied the forest floor of fir needles & twigs and there they were, not 6 feet off the trail, vulnerable and sacred, two perfect ovals mottled grey-brown, eggs pregnant with hope on the earthen floor. I uttered a soft "Oh" exclamation once, then twice, awed and heart-full with wonder. I spent brief moments that felt like time stopped. I took a photo, then I backed away into the forest to give the mother space to return. I felt gifted and I shared this gift in telling others, including the land steward who promptly closed the trail. I was reminded of other Nighthawk blessings in my life, some bittersweet. I will carry these two eggs and their mother with me long into my days.
Thank you for your living, loving words, Jeffrey. I was walking a familiar path, mind intent on leaving the forest & entering the small meadow. Then Nighthawk flushed feet from my feet, long brown wings flapping silently up and over the hill, startling me & stopping me in my tracks. I studied the forest floor of fir needles & twigs and there they were, not 6 feet off the trail, vulnerable and sacred, two perfect ovals mottled grey-brown, eggs pregnant with hope on the earthen floor. I uttered a soft "Oh" exclamation once, then twice, awed and heart-full with wonder. I spent brief moments that felt like time stopped. I took a photo, then I backed away into the forest to give the mother space to return. I felt gifted and I shared this gift in telling others, including the land steward who promptly closed the trail. I was reminded of other Nighthawk blessings in my life, some bittersweet. I will carry these two eggs and their mother with me long into my days.