One of the things I love about early morning walks is that you never know who you'll run into. So many people have taken to the streets and paths around their homes since all of this pandemic thing started that all kinds of folks who may never have had time before to get out and enjoy all of the benefits of walking are doing so now. From the very young being briskly pushed in strollers by moms in yoga pants to much older couples not only out walking together, but talking together.
My favorite early morning companions, however, aren't pushing strollers or looking for a morning workout ... they're looking for breakfast. And most of them don't actually have feet as we know them, but, rather feathers and paws. This is the cast of characters I ran into this morning:
- Five pigeons calmly walking around the curb and street picking up something that had been dropped by the trash collectors who had been by earlier. It looked like popcorn. There was no fighting among them to get more than anyone else. They were simply looking around, following the trail, and seeing if maybe anything else might present itself. There was no competition and it seemed as if they all got along rather well.
- Four squirrels were having a different sort of experience. One had something in his mouth and the other three were chasing him up and down a very large tree. It seemed to me that it was less about trying to get what he had and more about having some fun and exercise in the early morning sunshine. Their tails were all fluffed out and they ran with abandon. Made me wish I could still run a track.
- Two chipmunks were quietly sitting beneath some kind of bush with berries (some gardener I am ... some kind of bush) eating with those quick little movements they have. When they finished one berry, they would pick another one and go to it. No one was fighting over the same berry. It was very calming to watch them but I didn't want to stand there too long and intrude on their quiet time together.
- A woodpecker was diligently and persistently pecking away high up in a tree over my head. He would peck away very quickly for a few seconds, stop for a few seconds, and then get back at it. He stayed in the same space for quite some time. He was the picture of patience and commitment to the job in front of him. I should be so patient and committed.
Some Native American elders I had the privilege of sitting with and learning from always used to say that we can learn a great deal about how to live our lives in alignment with what the Creator had intended by watching the animals. This morning I learned about working together for a common goal, not taking what wasn't yours or being greedy but only taking what you needed, respecting another person's space, and working patiently and with purpose to achieve your goal. You might say that today's walk was a lesson on how to live in harmony with everyone and everything. Not a bad way to start the day.
And so it is.
