Monday, February 9, 2009

CROW AGAIN



Thanks to all who've left comments or emailed me recently. I'm well but am entering the last few months before it will be a year since R died. Haven't had my usual energy.

Although I've heard the story about this crow in Japan before, I was reminded of it again today. Even if the story isn't true, it rings true to me and makes my heart feel light and find hope. I love to see crows skip along.

A daily practice of three questions to ask at bedtime and record in a journal:

What surprised me today?
What touched me or moved me today?
What inspired me today?

These questions are from The Will To Live and Other Mysteries, an audio book by Rachel Naomi Remen. I bought that audio book in October of 2001 after visiting with R, who had been given a terminal cancer diagnosis. He lived until April 20, 2008.

The sunrise and clouds to the east are spectacular this morning. I'm going to get some breakfast and then head for my painting table, promising myself a walk this afternoon.

6 comments:

Zhoen said...

Smart birds. Adaptation is a marvel.

Hugs, many hugs.

Anonymous said...

I hope you had a good walk. That's one of my favourite ways of dealing with life.

robin andrea said...

I'm glad to see a post here, am. I have been thinking of you, hoping your quiet was contemplative. Your rising sun is beautiful.

The Solitary Walker said...

Wow, I just love that sunrise pic.

Do you know the 'Crow' poems by Ted Hughes? Well worth a read...

R.L. Bourges said...

Yay, she's back!

The crow story is totally consistent with other behavior patterns observed in these birds.

Just as dolphins in The Great Barrier reef have been observed by scientific teams 'preparing' cuttlefish for eating by emptying them of their bitter ink and scraping them along rocky bottoms to removed the hard bone. Epicures, those dolphins :-)

Gorgeous light in that photo, am. Enjoy yourself.

am said...

Zhoen -- Thanks so much for the hugs. Hugs for you, too.

bev -- I did have a good walk in the woods, but it was a short one. It's still too cold for long walks. I try not to be too frustrated by that. I've developed ocular rosacea in the past few years. It is aggravated by both cold and heat and . . . frustration and stress. For the most part, the Pacific Northwest is temperate. There are only a few months when my walking is limited by the weather.

robin andrea -- You and Roger have been in my thoughts, too. I'm grateful to be able to see the Santa Cruz area through your eyes, including the coyotes and the bobcat. That was an unusually clear sunrise. The mornings have been overcast for a long time now.

Solitary Walker -- Glad you liked the sunrise!

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Ted Hughes' Crow poems. I see that they were written the year R was in Vietnam. It is uncanny how much they mirror R's view of things at that time, haunted and wry. Startling. Now I am wondering what Ted Hughes has written recently.

For some reason, I just thought of Patti Smith's poem about Dylan's dog. I remember the words, "Dylan's dog has wings." I see Ted Hughes' Crow and Dylan's dog telling each other stories.

R.L. -- Absolutely clear sunrises have been unusual this winter. Graulhet appears to be graced with beautiful light throughout the year. That's part of why I love visiting your blog.