The restaurant patio was part of an old romantic hotel on a quiet part of the San Antonio Riverwalk. Great big trees lined the path. In front of us, a century old cypress whose root ball formed a heart shaped island on the edge of the riverbank. We learned that this place was called Marriage Island. As we sat down, enjoying the cooling breeze, a small wedding service bid each other farewell and wound their way home down the quiet river walk.
Slowly sipping my wine in the liminal dusk light, a movement caught my eye. I looked down the river and coming towards us in silent flight was a large bird. Her flight held a quiet grace.
The owl landed in the tree across from us, regal and powerful. I found it funny that people continued strolling by unaware that she sat and watched. After a few minutes, with us never taking our eyes off her, she flew across the few feet separating us and landed on a branch right in front of us.
I walked up to her, and stared directly into her eyes as she stared back. She was a beautiful sight to behold. Her dark, intelligent eyes watching us as we watched her.
She stayed with us throughout dinner, our eyes continually drawn to her silent form as the light breeze softly tousled her feathers. I sat back, sighing deeply, noticing that my thoughts were present with our graceful companion.
As I sat quietly watching, I thought of the people that walked by unaware of the amazing sight just above them. I wondered how many times I had walked by magical moments completely unaware of the beauty and magic within. It was a potent reminder to stay present and observe the world around me. May you discover your own owl this month and explore the possibilities.
Happy September!
