SILENT PARTNERS

 Dunn is my sole mate - yes I know that is not the spelling you expected. But we do a lot of walking together. Dunn is the only one who will walk with me since Becca's hours have changed to 9-6 every day.  It is getting dark too early in the evening to walk after she gets home from work.

 But Dunn and I enjoy one another's company. We spend most of our time in the woods where he concentrates on the scents and I concentrate on the sights and sounds.

I am somewhat of an amateur bird enthusiast.  I keep my feeder outside my kitchen window full year round and have identified every single visitor in my bird book. But when you are out in the woods there is a greater variety of birds to enjoy. I love to try to identify the birds by their song, because I can't always see them when I can hear them.

Because Dunn loves to swim, we spend a fair amount of time near lakes and rivers where we frequently see bald eagles perched in trees or soaring overhead. It is great to see the comeback the Bald Eagle has made since we have lived in the Northwest.  When we moved here in 1985 sightings were rare where we live and they were on the protected list, if not endangered. Now they are everywhere and sightings are common, but it still is a thrill every time I see one.

Dunn and I are silent partners when we are in the woods, with not a lot of interaction.  He is usually a few yards ahead of me intent on his own agenda, and I am intent on mine which is to breathe deep and be open to my surroundings.  Sometimes I find a cool place to sit down for a moment and just be. I love to pause there and say my prayers in nature, as that is where I am most grateful for my surroundings.

I have a designated "prayer" spot on a lot of my walks like the one above.  There is a nice little mossy seat to make it inviting.  Sometimes it is on a log with a beautiful view. Most often it is just a spot on the trail that is so overwhelmingly beautiful I just have to stop dead in my tracks and say "thanks".