A mid-August early-morning bike ride yielded what I called a patriotic day.
On my way up to Lock 7, I saw a red fox at the base of the water on the other side of the canal. Unfortunately, he took off before I could get my camera in place. Strike one.
I slowed my pedaling pace and got my camera ready. Unfortunately, a deep, guttural growl in the woods to my left motivated me to quicken my pace up a bit more.
The quicker speed left my camera unable to capture the blue heron soaring over the canal in search of food. Strike two.
On my return trip, my camera again failed to capture what I first thought was an eagle. The bird was large like an eagle but its white breast made me uncertain of what it really was. Strike three.
Three attempts; three failures. I struck out on capturing nature’s critters: a red fox, a white-breasted bird (osprey??) and a blue heron.
I realized although I struck out on capturing pictures of the beauty I saw, I still reaped other rewards. I brought back a sense of being one with and in awe of nature, an elevated heart rate and a picture of these small white flowers along the water’s edge. At least they didn’t move!
Sometimes when we put our disappointments and failures aside, we can gain a different perspective. All we have to do is look.
