Balance

This year I've seen a lot of beautiful people suffer & struggle. A lot of people struggling while their support systems also carry heavy burdens makes life very hard. Somehow I tend to be optimistic about the big things, but I've had bad days where I felt like all the good people are doomed to get chewed up while the bad folks party.

Today I saw something I hope I'll remember for a long time.

We weren't huge fans of our last downstairs neighbors. Starting a massive re-model without a single word to the neighbors who's walls you share is rude. Plus, one of them parked like they couldn't wait for us to sever a limb getting out of our cars. On the way home from errands today, I saw Mr. neighbor, who's all done with the hammering & moved away, getting a ticket.

Thank you, universe, for just enough balance to keep me smiling.

Neighbors

Yesterday was a funny sort of Saturday.

I stepped out into the sun, heading down to the park around noon. It was beautifully quiet, with that sort of idyllic weekend weather I'd been missing since the fires. I stopped on the stairs to soak it in, listening to the wind and the little peepers. Then suddenly I heard a loud nasal squawk, which seemed so much like a grumpy negation of what I'd been feeling. What a sourpuss neighbor, I thought, and continued down the stairs. But just as I got to the bottom, I half-glanced in the direction of the noise - and did a double-take.



Whoa! Is that a . . .



Giant Blue McCaw! She was beautiful, as you can see, and quiet as I went over to visit with her a bit. She seemed so comfortable, I thought she must be the chatterbox I hear happily every morning around ten. And indeed stayed put, just looking around, as several people drove past and parked right in front of her. Now, she's clearly a treasure and anyone who knows me would have been very surprised to see me walk away from a pet out on the loose. But I know nil about birds and, um, take a look at that beak again. Yeah.

I headed upstairs to make a few FOUND postings online, and kept an eye on her from the library. But then another surprise. Another neighbor showed up. One whom I could not have previously described as sweet or friendly. Bird wasn't hers, but Bird loved her. Loved Her.
Up her arm she hopped and happily snuggled as she was taken inside. A few minutes later, Mark had arrived in time to be caught up and watch as her parents were led into the complex. Turns our one of their neighbors had seen her heading our way. Mark went down to meet Miss Lily (as it turned out) and we both heard her joyfully squawk it up as she saw her people.



Goodbye Lily, thanks for visiting us!