For eight years
my husband and I
spent a week on the coast in Rhode Island,
to celebrate our anniversary,
which is in August.
This first thing I enjoyed
once we were established in our room,
was looking out over the ocean,
and visiting with the seagulls,
who were tame enough to perch on the sides of our balcony . . .
they would turn their heads this way and that way,
quizzically looking to see if we had eats.
I’d look deeply into their eyes,
and sometimes
one would look back,
and it seemed that we acknowledged each other
as fellow beings.
I’d watch them soar above the children’s kites down below,
pick french fries out of someone’s forgotten lunch,
and perch on the hotel’s rooftops
surveying the scenery,
just as I was.
If we had supper in the restaurant
I pocketed rolls from the bread basket to give them the next day.
In the evening,
my husband and I
took walks down the beach . . .
nesting season for the plovers
would be just about over,
but the fences to protect them from tourists were still up,
and there.
An osprey nest stood high above a backwater pond,
but visible from the beach,
and we’d watch the chicks
get their last meal of the day.
On the way back,
sandpipers would lead the way,
running as fast as their feet could carry them
back and forth between the shallow waves.
They all seemed to take such pleasure in the game.
Early one morning
we watched
as a mother gull at the ocean’s edge,
pulled a dead fish out of the water
while her youngling watched from the side.
Over and over,
she coaxed her offspring to the fish,
and demonstrated to process of biting into it with her sharp beak
and tearing off the flesh to eat.
Other gulls
would venture over,
but she shooed them all away
and continued with the feeding lesson
until he finally joined in and grabbed a bite.
One thing I love about birds
is their tenacity,
their knowledge and wisdom
passed down instinctively through thousands of generations,
the will to survive,
and the pure ease of motion
as they scale the winds and currents,
gliding with ease in the sky.
Those ocean birds
gave me joy
just because they were boldly exuberant beings
taking care of the business of living.
I admire that about them.
In their way
they teach me how to live. ♥
Oh dear, one of those “one” questions when I want to list so many things! I’m resisting the urge to look at whatever everyone else has already said before writing my answer.
I’m torn between trees and water. I’ll go with water. So cool and refreshing when I take a long drink after thirst. Calming when I stand by a river or lake. Beautiful and invigorating when I’m near a waterfall. Soothing when it’s rain pattering on the roof, watering all the green around our house. Awe-inspiring when I’m at the ocean listening to the eternal waves meeting the shore. And of course, an essential ingredient for my morning cup of coffee.
Only one? This is hard because there are an infinite number of gifts from Mother Earth that I love, adore & cherish……🩷
Redwood Trees. Love, love these almighty trees from Mother Earth. I am in awe of their magnificence. 🙏🏻🌲
🕊️💚
I too love the Redwoods. I lived in Humboldt County, 75 to 79, mostly in McKinleyville. I moved here in 79 and took the family out during the drought of 2000. We stayed in Trinidad for a few nights in a redwood grove. Magical.
WATER in all it’s many wonders and forms. But also my iris that show up every spring. I don’t really tend them much at all. But they show up without fail in all their glory. And I love them for that – not only their beauty, but also their faithfulness.
One gift?! Maybe the gift of renewal.
The way nature persists. Watching nature wake up after its winter slumber. Seeing the forest recover after a fire. These things give me hope and joy.
Drea, soil and roots go together which I’ve talked about before on various occasions. It starts and ends with the root. It helps me look past fundamental differences to appreciate all they’ve done for me.
I’m going with dirt, its nutrients and its ability to hold some water. So often the instructions for planting includes dirt, soil. And dirt is the home to probably the majority of creatures here on earth: aunts, scorpions, spiders, bacteria and so on. Good dirt, too, is safer to build a house or other structure on than sand. So. … dirt!
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For me it is the Ocean!
Go Patriots 🏈!!
For eight years
my husband and I
spent a week on the coast in Rhode Island,
to celebrate our anniversary,
which is in August.
This first thing I enjoyed
once we were established in our room,
was looking out over the ocean,
and visiting with the seagulls,
who were tame enough to perch on the sides of our balcony . . .
they would turn their heads this way and that way,
quizzically looking to see if we had eats.
I’d look deeply into their eyes,
and sometimes
one would look back,
and it seemed that we acknowledged each other
as fellow beings.
I’d watch them soar above the children’s kites down below,
pick french fries out of someone’s forgotten lunch,
and perch on the hotel’s rooftops
surveying the scenery,
just as I was.
If we had supper in the restaurant
I pocketed rolls from the bread basket to give them the next day.
In the evening,
my husband and I
took walks down the beach . . .
nesting season for the plovers
would be just about over,
but the fences to protect them from tourists were still up,
and there.
An osprey nest stood high above a backwater pond,
but visible from the beach,
and we’d watch the chicks
get their last meal of the day.
On the way back,
sandpipers would lead the way,
running as fast as their feet could carry them
back and forth between the shallow waves.
They all seemed to take such pleasure in the game.
Early one morning
we watched
as a mother gull at the ocean’s edge,
pulled a dead fish out of the water
while her youngling watched from the side.
Over and over,
she coaxed her offspring to the fish,
and demonstrated to process of biting into it with her sharp beak
and tearing off the flesh to eat.
Other gulls
would venture over,
but she shooed them all away
and continued with the feeding lesson
until he finally joined in and grabbed a bite.
One thing I love about birds
is their tenacity,
their knowledge and wisdom
passed down instinctively through thousands of generations,
the will to survive,
and the pure ease of motion
as they scale the winds and currents,
gliding with ease in the sky.
Those ocean birds
gave me joy
just because they were boldly exuberant beings
taking care of the business of living.
I admire that about them.
In their way
they teach me how to live. ♥
right now, it is the millet pillow allowing for sound sleep after spending a day with kind people in bautiful nature.
Oh dear, one of those “one” questions when I want to list so many things! I’m resisting the urge to look at whatever everyone else has already said before writing my answer.
I’m torn between trees and water. I’ll go with water. So cool and refreshing when I take a long drink after thirst. Calming when I stand by a river or lake. Beautiful and invigorating when I’m near a waterfall. Soothing when it’s rain pattering on the roof, watering all the green around our house. Awe-inspiring when I’m at the ocean listening to the eternal waves meeting the shore. And of course, an essential ingredient for my morning cup of coffee.
Only one? This is hard because there are an infinite number of gifts from Mother Earth that I love, adore & cherish……🩷
Redwood Trees. Love, love these almighty trees from Mother Earth. I am in awe of their magnificence. 🙏🏻🌲
🕊️💚
I too love the Redwoods. I lived in Humboldt County, 75 to 79, mostly in McKinleyville. I moved here in 79 and took the family out during the drought of 2000. We stayed in Trinidad for a few nights in a redwood grove. Magical.
WATER in all it’s many wonders and forms. But also my iris that show up every spring. I don’t really tend them much at all. But they show up without fail in all their glory. And I love them for that – not only their beauty, but also their faithfulness.
One gift?! Maybe the gift of renewal.
The way nature persists. Watching nature wake up after its winter slumber. Seeing the forest recover after a fire. These things give me hope and joy.
A wonderful answer, Charlie!
Charlie, the first thing that jumps out to mind when reading your post is how fascinating is how much healing takes place when we sleep.
Thank you to the Earth for bringing me joy through my physical home here, a place to stay that is safe from disasters. Happy Sunday to everyone! 🏡
My Ngoc, it’s easy to overlook the basic needs like a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
Soil. It grows everything I eat, either directly or indirectly.
Drea, soil and roots go together which I’ve talked about before on various occasions. It starts and ends with the root. It helps me look past fundamental differences to appreciate all they’ve done for me.
It is hard to limit to one. Any type of fruit. What brings the joy is to see the inside structure when it is cut open.
When I cut open an apple I’m reminded that it’s related to the rose.
What a beautiful observation,
dear Yram. ♥
Water but with great concern over how much of it we waste.
Snow brings me great joy. It’s beautiful when looking out the window when it falls, especially seeing the white that covers the trees.
A Minnesotan here, hah. Glad you love it and can find joy. ☺
My Ngoc, the 4 seasons is the beauty of Minnesota.
Gosh, only one ? Water ! 💦 I love you Mother Earth happy Mother’s Day in Norway !
As Joseph has said,
dear Antoinette,
‘agua es vida’ . . . 🙂
I’m going with dirt, its nutrients and its ability to hold some water. So often the instructions for planting includes dirt, soil. And dirt is the home to probably the majority of creatures here on earth: aunts, scorpions, spiders, bacteria and so on. Good dirt, too, is safer to build a house or other structure on than sand. So. … dirt!
flowers 🌷🌸🌹🌺🌼🥀💐🌻