Drinking It In

Sunrise, April 23, 2026Standing near the “shoreline,” which has expanded inland with all the rain, I’m surrounded by swooping tree swallows. I allow myself to feel them as they whoosh by my head. I giggle at the way they arc, dive, climb, and seem to spin in the air. Male tree swallow with the zoomies.I feel the part of me that wants to get going, that thinks we have so many more locations to visit, that we might be missing out on another magical bird that is just around the corner.The female tree swallows were hanging out on a bush while the males chased each other around.I gently imagine holding her hand and say, “It’s ok for us to stay and drink this in a little longer.” The killdeer always think I should move along. I don’t know where the nests are, but they fly up in front of me and then start their song and dance.We’ve arrived at the part of spring where everything starts to move really fast, and the temptation is to speed up, to rush through each experience so I won’t miss out…