Attention

A few days ago, I spotted this beautiful bumble bee gathering pollen. As I watched him flit from flower to flower, I had a thought.

It seems that animals do everything with focused attention, one task at a time…eating, resting, hunting, nest building. It appears that multi-tasking is not in their repertoire.

I thought about how often I multi-task…reading my email while eating, listening to music while paying bills. I’ve read that our brain can only consciously focus on one activity at a time, so whatever else we’re doing becomes a mindless act.

Maybe multi-tasking isn’t such a great idea. I suspect it keeps me from being fully present and fully aware, as my mind shifts back and forth between tasks.

Perhaps the key to remaining in the moment is to be more like the animal kingdom. Doing one thing at a time.

Something to ponder…

(New photos on website Gallery:  wandernature.com/new-photos)

Visiting

A few weeks ago, I spotted this baby tree swallow screeching for food. His mother tirelessly flew back and forth with lunch for the hatchlings. What a delight to see baby birds poking their heads out of a knothole in a tree. Such a cozy home.

While watching the bird family, I tried to be as unobtrusive as possible, remaining quiet and keeping my distance so as not to disturb the mother and her offspring.

Observing animals in their natural habitat is such a pleasure, and I recognize that I am only a visitor. With this privilege comes responsibility to wander carefully and respectfully and leave no trace of my visit.

What an honor it is to visit the natural world…

(New photos on website Gallery:  wandernature.com/new-photos)

Unexpected

I spotted this great horned owl last week, my very first sighting of such an amazing creature. He was sitting in the grass, which is unusual for owls. They usually rest in trees during the day and then hunt at night. He didn’t appear to be injured, and was surprisingly unfazed by my presence.

I marveled at this unexpected experience. As the owl and I watched each other, I had a thought. Maybe the owl’s presence was a message.

Perhaps it’s time for me to do something unexpected in my life, just like the owl. In that moment, I realized that I’ve been feeling a little too comfortable in my predictable days.

As the owl flew away, I smiled.

Inspiration sometimes comes in the most unexpected ways…

(New photos on website Gallery:  wandernature.com/new-photos)