I'm a Pest Today...

Hey guys, here's my next article fo the Living Normal column I'm doing in WLSLifestyles Magazine - I offer it up to you as a means to offer support from the perspective of the miracle of -- well, of living normal - love ya. M. The days grow short in Connecticut. Autumn clings to a sun that casts little warmth, like a child on tippy-toe reaching into the vastness of an empty cookie jar. I marvel at the smallness of my shadow, teasing me to believe it will remain a constant on my daily workouts despite knowing the sun will soon retreat behind another New England winter. We run together in comfortable companionship, its shapely arms pumping from a tight torso carried by strong and sturdy legs. How can this be me, a woman who less than three years ago was dying the slow death of morbid obesity? After two miles on the track, I head to the privacy of a small pier that overhangs the shore of the Thames River where I finish my workout with a series of crunches and stretches. A pair of swans observes my antics between long dives under water searching for food. We are alone, the swans, my shadow and me. I rest for a few minutes lying face up on the worn wooden planks to ponder life from the perspective of a normal-sized person. The sapphire sky commands my attention and my gaze drifts to the few clouds moving overhead. That's when I notice the birds. They circle, one following the other in strategic formation, scanning the water for any signs of life. I watch for several minutes, struck by the deliberate motion of these scavengers, their wings crafted by evolutionary design to propel them forward. Each meal will solely support the energy needed to search for the next. Movement is reserved for the pursuit of food, and food is sought only to sustain movement. The gulls circle in unhurried animation with a confidence that is rooted in instinct. Satisfied with knowledge born of introspection, I rise and turn to leave. Wedged between some rocks at the water's edge is an extensive length of vertebrae picked clean to the bone with only a skull and the spine left intact. Its desperate dance to disengage is a futile one. Its length is unnerving and I cannot comprehend what it was in life, only that it once swam the Thames River in perpetual motion in search of food. I glance once more at the gulls in silent appreciation of their mission and sprint away, my spry shadow a step behind. May you find peace in Living Normal.

Thanks for Sharing & very well done, I might add!! Marilyn, the Bearlady

Thanks Marilyn. How are you doing?

Amazing imagery, Reenie! Thank you for taking me on the walk with you! Joy

Thank you, Joy. I was starting to think this really sucked...