Today's MOZEN: Happenstance

F LoBuono

It really is extraordinary - the happenstance of it all.

This afternoon was yet another example.

It had been a particularly long and difficult week. I found myself defending my 1st Amendment rights for posting an innocent and rather innocuous photograph that I made in public on Facebook. Despite that it is neither illegal or immoral to make and post photos of ANYONE made in a public place, I was attacked for being unethical. But, that is a story for another post. The point I wanted to make here was that the argument became personal and vicious - so much so that I started to go into a deep depression.

I was driving to work with the radio on and in no particular hurry. I had left sufficient time to take a leisurely pace. And, so, I was enjoying the music and the bright, late fall sunshine, trying to distract myself from the ugliness I was still feeling quite disturbed about the whole incident. It was then, when I glanced up, quite by accident, that I caught her out of the corner of my eye. Soaring about 50 feet about the highway, wings spread wide, bright white belly exposed, was a Red Tailed Hawk. Her flight across the road couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds before she disappeared in the tree line. But, that was enough. You should have seen the size of the smile cross my face.

Red Tailed Hawks have always been special to me in the way that many Native American cultures see as a Familiar or Spirit Guide. I interpret this to mean is that all humans have a counterpart of sorts within the animal kingdom, i.e. a creature whose behaviors and essence (soul) mostly mimic our own. Because they are like us but are not us, they can show us the way out of difficult situations and towards solutions. For me, it's the hawk. She lifted my spirit on the strength of her magnificent wings and carried my blues away. Tomorrow is another day - with all the promise to make ANYTHING happen. It's time to move on. And, this isn't the first time this has happened to me. It seems whenever I am at my lowest point, a hawk magically appears to show me the way.

You just have to believe. . .