Embrace Fearlessly this Burning World by Sara Wright

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity”.
Barry Lopez

The older I get the more I realize that being able to pay attention is the greatest gift especially in what Lopez calls ‘this burning world’.

Every day there is an opportunity to engage with some aspect of the rest of nature, no matter how despondent I might feel. Because early spring is a difficult time for me, I try to discipline myself to open nature’s door daily because it is in these timeless moments, I get caught by the ephemeral Now.

Last week before the storm that would later drop another two feet of snow at my door I decided to visit and feed the two geese thinking that they might appreciate extra food. I also had a nagging sense they might be calling me.

These two are already building a nest in the reeds so the mound will offer them some protection from the storm. I reminded myself that geese also have layers of insulated feathers. Tucking legs beneath bodies and stuffing heads into goose down fluff will help keep them warm. Geese circulate blood through a countercurrent heat exchange that isolates the blood that flows in their legs rather than circulating it throughout their entire bodies. This amazing adaptation also helps to keep body temperatures stable in cold weather. Geese also have specialized scales on their feet and legs that help minimize heat loss. After the eggs are laid unborn goslings will communicate with their parents before their birth. Families migrate together, stay together in the winter, and return to the same area for nesting each year. They separate into pairs only during breeding season and re convene when goslings are older. If parents are too young to care for their children older geese ‘kidnap’ them and raise them with their own. The younger parents follow the adults and are allowed to stay. Isn’t it amazing how nature cares for geese by making sure that each gosling has the best chance of survival? Geese are all about living in genuine community.

The Goddess certainly manifests as a Goose.

 No wonder I spent so much time with them.

As I called out to my friends who were bobbing up and down across the half open pond, they answered in unison and took to the sky, powerful winged creatures flying low in my direction. I was scattering spinach and oats for their momentary arrival when it happened.  

Water and Sky swept me away.

Oh, the different hues of each reflection. I stood there astonished. I had been transported to another realm, one made from blue sky mirrors casting reflections on still waters. Ice mirroring dull gray. It barely registered that the geese were snatching greens at my feet. This magical mystical process that humans call ‘ice out’ transforms a frozen body into water, and water ushers in the spring!

I thought I was going to visit with the geese, but instead I was swept into the infinite moment by clear waters and cobalt skies.

My guess is that the geese already knew that I needed a ‘moment’ and had lured me in!