Yesterday morning walking on the cliffs above the Pacific, I saw a large bird flying towards me, but it didn't look right somehow. Was it a drone, some kind of mechanical toy? I see pelicans and seagulls all the time, but this didn't look like them. It was bigger. And it came in parts--an above and below--like a 2-story bird. Almost like it was carrying something.
It came closer, flying right overhead.
It was a hawk, a really, really big hawk.
And it had a fish in its talons.
A really, really big fish. And the fish was flapping its tail.
Soaring there high above my head, they looked so peaceful, like friends out on a joy ride.
A few minutes later, I met a couple I know on the path, and they said, "Did you see that!?"
"Yes!" I was relieved that they had seen it too. That meant it was real.
The man was very excited. "We saw it catch the fish! But it dropped another one first. It had one, but the fish got away when he was flying around the light pole. He literally shrugged, like "agh!" He shrugged it off! And then he was flying over the water, looking, and dove in, and came up with this one."
The woman added, "He was a very big hawk. We saw his wing span. At least 6 feet. Huge!"
The man told his story again, emphasizing, "He just shrugged it off and went back and caught another one."
"You go back, Jack, and do it again," I said, and we all smiled, yep, all of us old enough to recognize a Steely Dan line. "It's going to be a good day."
And it was. A day full of unexpected delights and good company. Except maybe for the fish.
It came closer, flying right overhead.
It was a hawk, a really, really big hawk.
And it had a fish in its talons.
A really, really big fish. And the fish was flapping its tail.
Soaring there high above my head, they looked so peaceful, like friends out on a joy ride.
A few minutes later, I met a couple I know on the path, and they said, "Did you see that!?"
"Yes!" I was relieved that they had seen it too. That meant it was real.
The man was very excited. "We saw it catch the fish! But it dropped another one first. It had one, but the fish got away when he was flying around the light pole. He literally shrugged, like "agh!" He shrugged it off! And then he was flying over the water, looking, and dove in, and came up with this one."
The woman added, "He was a very big hawk. We saw his wing span. At least 6 feet. Huge!"
The man told his story again, emphasizing, "He just shrugged it off and went back and caught another one."
"You go back, Jack, and do it again," I said, and we all smiled, yep, all of us old enough to recognize a Steely Dan line. "It's going to be a good day."
And it was. A day full of unexpected delights and good company. Except maybe for the fish.
