That soft space within

When I am in the midst of pure natural beauty
When I watch birds soaring in freedom
When I snuggle next to my sleeping child
When I think of my sweet grandmother
When I read a beautiful poem
When I listen to soulful music

I take a deep breath and enter that soft space within

A perfect union disrupted by loud humans

A bright and sunny early April afternoon, I stood on the pier that juts into the Toogood pond in Unionville and looked around. A pair of Canadian geese caught my eye. They were taking turns dunking their head into the water for what seemed like a few minutes. I realized in an instant that this is a mating ritual. Very soon the male was on top of the female. The male biting the female's neck probably to steady itself amid the throes of an intense sexual union. I watched in complete stillness.

All of a sudden two nannies and toddlers arrive at the scene and immediately start dropping pieces of bread into the lake to attract the geese. The mating pair tried to continue on, but with the nannies screaming "honk honk" and "bread bread" there was little hope for them. Their union was abruptly terminated. The male dismounted and tried very hard to steady himself.

A feeling of distaste and sadness engulfed me. A perfect union of nature was disrupted by intrusive, insensitive and loud humans. I walked away quietly with the bad feeling lingering for a long time after.

A Bad Marriage

Domestic life with those who don't agree with you, is like dwelling with a cobra in the same hut. - Tirukkural 890

You will be bitten, poked, prodded, wounded day after day. Your spirit will suffer from daily blows of harsh words, criticism and disapproval. If you can't distance yourself from the cobra, may you find solace in things that you really love. Otherwise you will wither like a plant deprived of water under a merciless sun.  

Rich in sunny hours and summer days

“Many a forenoon have I stolen away, preferring to spend thus the most valued part of the day; for I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days, and spent them lavishly” – Henry David Thoreau, Walden

This is how I feel every day since I began working part-time. The sunny, quiet afternoon hours are really the best part of the day. I walk around lazily looking at whatever catches my eye. Everything slows down as mother nature enjoys a nice afternoon siesta.

Oh! Nesting pairs everywhere ..

As I walk around the open areas and trails, I see nesting pairs of birds everywhere.

The Canadian geese are all paired up. The female eating while the male guards. One sleeping, the other watching. The mallard duck pairs are spreading out to different areas in the swamps securing a private territory.  A pair of mourning doves resting quietly at the foot of a dense shrub. The slender and delicate bird perfectly camouflaged with the brown branches. When I see the red cardinal in the woods,  I know that its dull colored partner is somewhere close hidden in the thickset.

It is as if I am witnessing Spring for the first time in my life .. 

The Coo of the Mourning Dove

Every morning as I head out from home to work, I hear this very haunting coo of a particular bird. A far away "woo-OO-oo-oo-oo" .. a pause and then again "woo-OO-oo-oo-oo". I wondered what mysterious bird must have such a distinctive coo.

I wanted to find out on the web..but what would I search for? The only option was to ask a birder in the region. I almost gave up hope of finding out until I chanced upon a very slender, greyish brown bird that looked like pigeon. I looked it up and found out that it was the Mourning Dove.

Imagine my surprise when I found that this was it!! The Mourning dove's plaintive coo is what gave this bird its name. "woo-OO-oo-oo-oo"  ... "woo-OO-oo-oo-oo" ..

Mother's tea

My mother is visiting for a few months. The best thing about having mom at home is the tea she makes for me. Every morning my sweet mother will ask me "milk or chai". Mostly my answer is "chai". I sit cross-legged on the sofa sipping hot tea and looking out of the window. A soft start to a brand new day ..