Slice of Life: Magical Things

“The universe if full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”
Eden Phillpotts

Most mornings I can be found walking along our quiet stretch of road with our dog, Lucy. Meandering may be a more accurate description. Lucy is a beagle and has to sniff everything. (You remember the Pokey Little Puppy, right?) Sometimes it takes us half-an-hour to go less than a quarter of a mile. This used to frustrate me because I. had. things. to. do! (More about that here.) But I stopped letting it bother me ages ago. The reason? I took a cue from Lucy and started really paying attention to the action unfolding all around me.

As usual, the birds were very busy this morning. These swallows greeted us as we started off, chittering “Hello!”

Then something upset this hawk, as he erupted from his perch in the pines with an ear-piercing screech.

               

As we moved a little farther down the road, we came across these berries. It looks like they need another day or two to ripen, then they’ll be a perfect breakfast for the birds in the neighborhood.

Goldfinches love the thistles that grow along the old stone wall at the edge of this pasture.

When we got home, more winged friends were waiting to greet us buzzing around in the hosta.

                           

Finally, I sat down on the front step where I have a good view of this nest, which was strangely quiet this morning. The mama bird was very busy there yesterday.

Thank you, Lucy, for making me slow down and sharpen my wits to the “magical things” that are all around.

Thank you to Stacey, Dana, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lisa for this space for teachers and others to share their stories each Tuesday. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.