Stopping to Smell the Roses
My pause along the side of the road didn’t actually involve flowers. All the same, the analogy fits and I can’t resist sharing.
The other day I watched a hawk practically fall out of the sky. Without anyone driving behind me, I literally pulled the car over to see what the creature would do as it obviously alighted upon some prey.
Sure enough, the bird used its talons to strangle the life out of something. That sounds harsh, but the savage beauty completely captivated me.
As I stared the creature leaned back, lifted shoulders shifting its wings, and appeared for all the world like a person stomping on something. Then the bird used that wicked beak to lift the now-limp form, flipped it in the air, and swallowed the mole with one gulp.
Still with no cars coming up behind me, I nonetheless resumed my drive as the hawk took flight. We matched speed at around twenty-five miles per hour for several yards before the majestic creature settled on a perch, presumably to digest.
So, that was my minor brush with nature’s raw beauty. Have you seen anything amazing lately? I’d love to hear about it.
It's not something I saw lately, but your words "nature's raw beauty" reminded me of a favorite memory.
When I was in elementary school, we lived in a house with a huge window (it was as long as our couch) in the living room. One day while waiting for the bus, I sat backward on the couch gazing out the window as the most beautiful lightning display I had ever seen (or have seen since). The mass of storm clouds were a backdrop of mixed grays and blues as bolt after bolt of white multi-pronged lightning lit up the sky. It was breathtaking even then.
To this day, I love to sit on the porch or perched at a window and watch storms roll through the world outside and listen to the thunder and the rain.
Thank you for sharing this lovely memory! It means a lot. I love to watch storms from the comfort of my home, too.