I saw a peregrine falcon the other day. An actual peregrine falcon. All those years of watching Kratt's Creatures and Zaboomafoo finally paid off. Except, apparently, Zaboomafoo was a show for little kids. Which did not bother me in the slightest. But it sat there on the tree branch, watching me over its shoulder. I stopped and stepped off the sidewalk and sat down on the slope.
And we sat together for a while.
He looked around, occasionally, as I wrote in my journal. We sat in silence for maybe half an hour. I looked at him, he looked at me, and the creek bubbled in the background. The sun drifted lazily toward the horizon when the falcon hunched his shoulders. He froze for a moment before exploding off the branch. He shot through the foliage, not brushing against anything, toward a building on the opposite bank. In the air, he snatched a smaller bird away from its nest and spun around. He swooped back through the dense branches and glided across the road, mere inches off the pavement. He landed in a clearing and began eating the other bird. It was incredible to see.
And, then, I continued on my way.
Last year was not a bad year, really. There were some good parts, some bad parts, and some parts that just sort of happened. Just another normal year. I had a handful of resolutions lined up, but the more thought I put into them, the less important it seemed to keep them. So I narrowed it down to a handful. Reconnect with old friends. Push myself harder. Take more risks and never worry about the consequences. Balance. And, now, I'm ready.
A new year full of new adventures and new disappointments.
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