tracks
What is something or someone that will stop you in your tracks?
This last weekend my son asked me “Do you want to go watch the sunrise?”
Tracks STOPPED. “Yes! Grab your shoes and a sweatshirt, we have 7 minutes!”
There we sat on the sand as the sun rose, changing the sky in a beautiful ombre effect as only the sun can do. With beauty and grace, we watched him snuggled up on my lap, with the wind blowing in our faces. The glimmer of light shining in bright beams, reflecting off the surface.
We gazed up to the sky and observed a majestic bald eagle flying overhead. We imagined he was also watching the sun rise and enjoying playing in the swales of wind. We personified his emotions as we watched, both the eagle and sun on this perfect morning.
The sun was up, the eagle flew off and we began to walk back home. Only to notice some odd tracks. We started to follow the footprints in the sand with a tail dragging between the legs, hypothesizing- “What could this animal be?”
William followed the tracks, walking the beach only for them to disappear into the water line. Then he wondered, “where did they start?” Back down the beach we went, only this time to see their origin. Once again, the tracks disappeared into the sedge grasses. We were stopped in our tracks. What was it?
Baffled, we gently meandered back along the beach. We started noticing other patterns. “Well, what is THIS animal?” Only with a child do you begin to take the time to follow and observe. He reminds me to stop, observe and learn.
This time as followed the tracks, we found the baby snapping turtle. What joy and excitement of this beautiful little creature. Picking it up, feeling its shell, observing his little legs. We set him back along the surf acknowledging how he waddled across the sand.
We continued our journey.
Again, NEW TRACKS! Again, we have to stop, observe, and learn.
We followed this new set of tracks and guess what we discovered, a salamander!
Oh the joy! What luck have we had!
This morning, my little boy asked me to go for an adventure before the sun was up. What would I have done instead? Drank my coffee, made breakfast, dishes, swept the floor, maybe scrolled my phone. What did I do instead? I experienced awe.
The awe of the sunrise, watching an eagle soar, following the tracks of not one but three animals. But most importantly, following the tracks of a little boy who sees the magic in the little moments. Who knows no more than to stop in his own tracks to witness all of the splendor I would have missed. For that, I am forever grateful and hope to follow in his tracks.
This weeks A Door Within:
What is a moment that stops you in your tracks?
Reflect on a moment of awe. What made you stop?
This moment of profound beauty, are you disappointed you did not complete the “to-do?” Is that ever the response? I wish I had done the dishes?
How can you be the catalyst for others, to be the one who stops others in THEIR tracks?
How can you be the one who acknowledges and shares the power of the unseen?
♥ Ashley
PS: After much digging we discovered that the original animal was a muskrat.
