Reflections from Chavez Park earlier this afternoon:
Such a beautiful day at the park today, bright, sunny and warm. Quite a contrast from Tuesday when it was foggy and cold. Today there’s no fog or cloud anywhere, and all my favorite views are so sharp and clear it feels like the first time I put on glasses–suddenly I can see things I hadn’t noticed before. With a 180 degree perspective I can see three bridges crossing bay waters–the Oakland Bay bridge, the Richmond, and the world famous Golden Gate bridge. When I think about places I would choose to live, the San Francisco bay area probably wouldn’t have made my top 25. It might not have made my top 100 for that matter. But perched here on my bench looking across at the city and the three bridges and Alcatraz and Mount Tamalpais and enjoying the beauty of this 70 degree December day I have to admit this spot is pretty darned sweet.
Back “home” in my old Midwest stomping grounds, they had their first significant snow of the season. Six years ago when I first moved out to California I missed the snow and thought I’d never get used to warm rainy Decembers. Now I wonder if I could get used to cold, snowy Decembers. Perhaps the old adage is true, “home is where the heart is,” and not so much that home is where the nicest weather is. I am not sure how long I will live in California–this is somewhat dependent on employment among other factors. But for now, the East Bay is home and I am grateful to have made it mine.
Tonight as I write I am once again grateful for the beauty that’s present all around me–in nature, in the faces of the people around me. At a time when one we are constantly bombarded by images of ugliness–war, environmental degradation, poverty and famine–it’s important to take time to find beauty whenever and wherever we can. Today I took my time walking the mile-and-a-half around the park. This was in part because my heart was acting up a little bit, but also because it was so beautiful outside that I stopped a few times to take pictures. At one point I came upon and was about to walk past a man who had stopped and was correcting two of the three dogs he’d been walking. (I was impressed by their obedience.) As I walked past he stopped me.
“Hey, have you seen those small owls that hang out in the park?” He asked.
“Why no, I haven’t.” I replied, “I’ve seen the red-tailed hawk that lives in the park, but never the owls.”
“There’s one right over here,” he said, walking a few feet from where we were standing and pointed down to some brush near a rocky shoreline. There tucked in between two rocks was the owl.
“Wow, thank you.” I smiled at the man, who smiled back before resuming his conversation with his dogs. I stood for a few moments, taking a picture of the owl, hoping it would turn out. (If you look carefully at the picture below you can see her.) Then I resumed my walk back around to my bench.
Owl Hanging Out at the Shoreline at Chavez Park
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