I went walking again yesterday. I walked until it hurt and then kept walking. I'm sure there's someone out there who knows about podiatry who is shaking their head right now. Still I walked. I walked until the problems I started with dissolved and solutions manifested themselves instead.
My sister, who has gone to meditation retreats around the world, once told me about a thing called a walking meditation. So, in a way, this is similar. But I think that the results I come upon are sometimes effected by the scenery and the things I pass by – everyday symbols hung up around us.
This was not the first dead bird that I saw along my walk. I was surprised that no wild creatures had dragged it off. Its wings and breasts made a heart shape. It lay undisturbed in the gravel and sand – its deathbed. 
While I saw birds that had fallen, I also saw a mighty eagle. At least this is what I think it is. It was large, brown, with white tail-feathers, and yellow feet. I also think a yellow beak. I saw this giant bird perched atop a building and then swooping with large wings, alighted atop the telephone pole.
I saw several cacti. I believe that this one is a prickly pear. I'll have to study up on my desert plants, animals, and birds. I am still not familiar with them or their names. How odd that I should feel kindred with the unnamed.
When I finally made it back to the house, the sun had dipped below the horizon and the warmth of the day was replaced by the cool of the night. I had either resolved or forgotten my troubles. My feet and legs ached... but that didn't matter.
6 comments:
It could have been an eagle but looks to me more like a hawk of some sort, based on the shape of the bird. Either way, always a magical sighting!
A few years ago I went through a very rough time in my life. That's when I started walking on a regular basis. One day after a rain I went for a walk, still burdend by the ordeal I was trying to work through. There on the road was a shallow pool of rainwater shaped like a heart. I stopped to take it all in, and felt it was put there just for me. For many months, after each rain, I walked just to see that heart-shaped pool. The next summer the heart was gone after the road crew thought they need to grade the road. Until now, I had forgotten about this sweet message of hope and love. Thank you.
I like to walk to clear my head, especially if I've been arguing with someone... the physical distance from the trouble seems to help form a sort of intellectual/emotional distance, too.
The bird of prey could be a Cooper's Hawk, there's a family of them that nests in Reid Park so they're a pretty common sight on this side of town. Here's a photo of one in my tree:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=446691617261&set=a.23907232261.30065.617527261
You should take a trip out to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, it's a great way to learn about our flora and fauna!
I walk, and when I walk I think, I pray, I meditate. It does your body and soul good. I am glad your problems melted away and were replaced by aching feet, which can be cured easily.
We discovered that it's a harris hawk!
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