Brandy

“Hurry! Come here!” My girlfriend’s dad ushered us to the kitchen and pointed out the bay windows. He told us to “Look!” in a muted but excited voice. We saw a beautiful bird perched in the bushes outside the kitchen window.

The windows had dark screens, so we moved closer to see better. Right as we moved, it flew out of the bush and towards the street.

We were sad we disturbed the bird. In movies, important scenes will sometimes be played in slow motion. In life, this is called time dilation. The window framed our movie scene. The bird fled. Brandy entered from stage right. Brandy was the family dog, and she was flying. I did not see her launch, but she flew into our view with her mouth wide open.

Poof! The bird vanished in a cloud of colorful feathers.

I was startled. It was carnage, and as with most things that end, it was upsetting. I took a few minutes to settle. Eventually, I tried to see this moment from the perspective of a very proud Brandy. She was a dog doing what nature does.

Many things in life are out of my control. While I may label some things beautiful and others sad, it might be a matter of my perspective. Nature is life, and life is changing.

Sometimes I dwell on the sad. Instead, I can practice cherishing this moment and accepting the next. Change is inevitable, and resisting it will not stop the change but might stop my growth.

Am I accepting things as they are? Do I dismiss feelings when they are no longer helpful? Can I tend to what this moment needs before it is gone?

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.