Silence

Silence is one of a beach walk's many gifts.
With the exception of the faint sounds of a passing boat, the cries of shorebirds and the babble of wavelets, acceptable natural sounds, there is peaceful silence today.

The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote that if he were a doctor and could prescribe only one
remedy, it would be silence.

A brief respite from the world's daily clamour is a healthy tonic.
I recommend daily doses.

Doing Nothing

The thought of spending even a few minutes simply doing nothing is an alien experience for
many. The work ethic by which we live tells us to stay busy and be productive.
There is much to be said for doing nothing from time to time.
But are we really doing nothing?
Merely sitting, relaxing, watching the shorebirds, hearing the waves and feeling the wind and
the warm sun on your face is a wonderful input to the senses.
Pardon my sitting here on the seawall doing nothing for a while.

Spring, The Wetlands

Even as the first green cattail shoots appear the Red Wing Blackbirds have returned to our bay.
One of the earliest and most populous migratory birds, the Red Wing Blackbird nests in the
wetlands and provides early colour and sound to today's walk. Being omnivorous, they are content to feed on insects and seeds equally. The male is colourful and easily spotted by listening
for their distinct mating call. The female is harder to find. She is smaller and drab in comparison
to better blend in during nesting. I was happy to catch this fellow in full song.