lighter than air...

Taking a stroll yesterday to do some small errand I invented in order to take a stroll yesterday, I was captivated by the beautiful day.  The sun was shining, the air was crisp and cool but tasted brand new and fresh.  It was still and calm and despite the traffic and the construction it was peacefully alive.  If I stood still, breathed deeply and looked up so that all I could see was the tip tops of Boston's skyline and the deep blue of the sky it was as if - just for a second- the world stood still and became relaxed.  While this undoubtedly generated some odd looks from passersby, I hardly noticed.  It is a gift to be able to find a moment for yourself in the hustle and bustle of American life. 

During one such moment, to my utter delight, I discovered I was not alone at all but sharing my patch of sky with a glorious Red-Tailed Hawk...  

Anyone who knows me will know that I love birds of all kinds.  However within the bird realm 

the raptors are my favorites...  The sleek and deadly hunters that drift with effortless ease on currents of air... So free, so beautiful.

Even on the streets of Boston, with no wilderness for miles in any direction this wonderful bird, feathers fully spread to catch the hint of an updraft off the pavement and rooftops, spiraled as effortlessly around a building as its cousins do around mountains.   When it alights on a rain gutter or window ledge to survey its domain of brick and tar it is no less proud than its cousins who alight on treetop or cliff edge and look out upon field and forest.   A supreme example of adaptability and finding a place in life that I think could benefit a lot of people these days.  One that I try and live by - trying to find a 'home' in everyplace I've ever been. 

For just a moment this master of the skies took me with it. Up, up, drifting right and down, following the streets and dodging cranes, back left and up the glass face of a building.  For a moment it showed me its world and made me lighter than air.