It is the way my mind seems to skip along these days, one thing reminds me of another, and then another.

It could be considered distraction. I prefer to consider it… alertness.  While frustrating, in practical “to do” terms;  it can also be quite rich, this stream of thoughts and rememberings.  I’m learning to stop ignoring it; instead, leaning into the turn, and slowing down to listen.

“The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going.” 

So, I sat down to do one thing, (find a soup recipe) and came across something entirely unrelated (Anuna’s Chrismas CD is on Spotify now) which reminded me of a favorite song (Winter, Fire and Snow – it reminds me of #1 Son) then I thought about downloading the sheet music for The Daughter, next discovering the song’s origin as a poem by Irish Poet Macdara Woods, adapted by Brendan Graham, (hmmm, Macdara Woods, who is he?).  A quick look and there he was, reciting three of his poems from his recent Collected Poems, and the third one made me laugh, and smile wryly at myself.

Our humble bungalow is situated on a creek, off a river, off the Chesapeake Bay, off the Atlantic Ocean, and we have regular water bird visitors that, along with our Cirque du Squirrelé keep us entertained.  Macdara Woods (what a great name for an Irish poet!) has beautifully captured heron stalking,

“watchful,
poised,
intent,
about to,
always on the point of,
following through the frozen moment into flight…” 

While I haven’t quite given up, I can also identify with the walking theme in his poem,

“We have given up on hills,”
but I can walk forever on the flat…

but downhill we can walk forever.”

It is the third poem in this short video.