A Bridge For Everyone

Day 13: Lost in their gossip, the two women were entirely oblivious to the Blue Heron standing boldly on the path not a dozen feet in front of them. Even more astonishing was the dog's apparent unconcern, his attention given solely to repeated territory-marking of the bridge's wooden posts. I had braked my bike some ways back, careful not to startle the bird into flight, but I needn't have worried. He turned his back to the walkers, spread his legs in a defiant posture, as if to say, "You're not going to shift me. I was here first." Nevertheless, he was the one who gave ground, walking placidly into the brush at the side of the trail, still unnoticed by the chatting ladies or the dog. I felt for a moment that I had been given a glimpse of a better world, one where all things in nature coexist in a harmonious balance.