Day One

Where do I begin. All this note taking and observing and feeling that seems to comprise so much of my life- scattered scraps of paper and post-it notes everywhere- journals begun, left sitting, new ones take their place. Life resounding... gratitude abounding...

This morning I went out on the terrace where I am staying- beautiful polished stone slabs and there in the middle, next to the copper painted patio table, a giant fluff of feathers and half of a seagull in the midst- its lower half... one leg, head, upper body and wings all missing- blood spattered on the stone. Still fresh, the blood barely dried- and yet I heard no sound, no commotion. I don't know why this awaited me when I stepped outside this morning. I sat feeling stunned and wondering, sat in the rocking chair feeling sort of "zenned out". Said some prayers, sat some more and finally got up to clean up the mess. Saved a few feathers, put them in a pot accepting the offering.

Yesterday I walked out on the deck of my sound healing center to check the water in the fountain, which is a wide low terracotta bowl filled with rocks, a small tumbling waterfall- and laying across it was a fairly large black snake, with its head raised in the position of a cobra ready to strike! I've seen these blacks snakes a lot in Florida- "black racers" someone said. I love them and am fascinated by them. I usually try to follow them and see where they go when I see one. But I'd never seen one in this pose. We stared at each other and then I turned around and went inside.

My fascination got the better of me and within a few minutes I went back out- now it had lowered its head and was sort of curled around the fountain, still laying across the rocks apparently enjoying the relative coolness of the water. This time when it heard me move it dashed off into the bushes.

Last night I was on the beach after sunset. The sky was still pink, orange and deep grayish blue. I was walking and stopped to look at the water where I had seen dolphin fins moving through the water. As I turned a dolphin leaped out of the water, immediately followed by another which leapt straight up toward the sky. They were both perfect black silhouettes against the pink and orange sky.

Each of these moments stopped me in my tracks.

Life is breath but sometimes this life takes my breath away!