For the birds

Perhaps you are aware that a pair of bald eagles has nested in Pittsburgh on the banks of the Monongahela near the South Side of the city.

Having never seen a bald eagle in the wild (if you can call our fair city wild) I set out on the walking trail that parallels the Mon River and proceeded to walk to where the news reports said one would be able to possibly see the bald eagles.

It was a pleasant trek, the snow was swirling softly, it was brisk, and I was on a quest. My focus was intent on seeing a bald eagle. I walked looking up, scanning the hillsides, and hoping to catch a glimpse of the big bird.

I walked two miles and saw nothing. Zippo. Neither a fly-by or a feather.

On the walk back, I was much more at ease, the quest on hiatus, and I began to enjoy the surrounding sights. It was then I saw directly in front of me that flash of red --- a cardinal (the bird not the boys gathering in Rome) flew straight across the path and to make sure I saw him perched on the tree near the side of the trail.

As I have noted in some of the beauty marks listed in this blog, I find the cardinal to be an absolutely stunning bird, regal in bearing and made all the more bright and becoming when flying in the backdrop of white snow.

And there he was. He paused and looked at me as if to say sure, you didn’t see a bald eagle, yet, I’m pretty impressive and quite a looker as you very well know.

I remarked, “Truly, you are a beauty.” And, I learned an important lesson.

Don’t be so locked-in and laser-focused that you miss the WOW moments found in the blessed ordinariness and gifts of the day. Sure, we are each impressed by the crash of ocean waves, the blue heron flying up the creek, and the rainbow arching across the sky. Yet, we must be aware and present enough to also be awed by the steady flow of the familiar rivers of our hometowns, of the sight of robins flitting in the snow-dusted grass of late winter, and in the stages of the moon.

Learn to find the extra in the ordinary.

sj;