Taking Stock

The last week or so, the days have been noticeably warmer in the Topeka area.  It’s obvious that things are awakening out there.  Though it’s a bit early for leaves, flowers, and mosquitoes, it’s not too early for birds.
Letting Susie out in the morning is sometimes a real treat.  Across the street in the sycamore tree will be a robin making his presence known.  To my left over by the creek, a cardinal, with equal gusto, will be staking his claim to the territory.  Out back, high in an elm or oak, a crow will be making noises that let others know he thinks he’s hot stuff.
Sometimes they sing together, making for a sort of natural chorus.  And if one goes out early enough in the morning, the noise of the traffic on neighboring through streets isn’t noticeable, and the birds have the stage all to themselves.
Susie, of course, has no compulsion to stop and listen to the birds.  She’s much more interested in sniffing out the scent of any dogs that may have roamed the yard during the night, chasing away any squirrels that happen to be ground-based, and relieving her bladder of the night’s accumulation of fluid.
In a way, Susie mirrors a lot of us.  We are too busy with the busy work to notice our world.  It doesn’t hurt to stop what we’re doing from time to time and take stock of what is around us.  And if we do, we often come away from that encounter with a renewed sense of peace and wellness.  That, friend, is worthwhile.