herons and our inner world

This morning I walked with my buddy Pixie and I was thinking about all kinds of things. We had recently met and talked with a number of the gardeners in the park and wondered if they would be able to stop to  say hello. I wondered if there were any friendly dogs or people that we would be meeting for the first time. I wondered if the lilac bushes were still as fragrant as yesterday. Then, I thought about previous walks and sightings of different animals and birds. It is always a blessing to see various animals and birds except for wondering how pixie will react to them. One morning, we saw a very very large snapper turtle on the tow path and we definitely kept our distance until it ambled off into the  woods. During this time of spring , there are  the momma and poppa geese that are very protective of their new babies. They squawk loudly  at us when we walk by. Sometimes, we are fortunate enough to see a blue heron. This is a wonderful sighting for me.

I really like their regal nature and their fierce independence as they live their lives. Some viewings, they have stayed within eyesight for several minutes while we watched from the shore. Sometimes, the heron follows us down the tow path lighting just ahead of us  for a mile or so. That is really a magical moment. I have not seen a heron in months, today I saw one in the park by the pond. What a lovely sight. I love painting herons and have many images of them in various forms in my work space. According to Ted Andrews in Animal Speak,  the heron "reflects the innate wisdom of being able to maneuver through life and control its circumstances" Heron energy is quite self sufficient and symbolizes the ability to make one's own choices easily and clearly and not follow the crowd. It was another good morning with Pixie.Thank you Pixie.