I took a drive one early morning, and ended up parking my car overlooking a quiet bay. Picture gently rippling waves, a golden glow hanging low over the water, and wisps of clouds draped across the brilliant blue sky above. Small boats and yachts sway gently on the water, and a bridge spans the background. Seagulls wander around the shore on a constant quest for food. A few seagulls swim along the surface of the bay, and then dip down into the water when they spy a morsel to snatch. A runner jogs past and the seagulls pay him no mind. And I think back to a day past when I saw a seagull standing in wet sand on a beach, feet covered, waiting, and each time a wave washed over her feet, the seagull would quickly churn the loose sand into blossoming billows in the water as she flushed out sea creatures, perhaps crabs or shell fish or shell creatures. And I contrast these scenes in my mind with times I have seen seagulls squawking racous cries as they fight over rubbish being dumped, or swoop noisily over a fishing boat just landed, or when they try to grab take away food from diners at a waterfront restaurant.
I sit in my car and enjoy the scene in front of me, where seagulls are enjoying the life they were meant to enjoy. I see a few seagulls hovering anxiously just outside my car door, and I wonder if they will follow me if I get out, eager for a scrap or two of a sandwich or a chip.
How easy it is to disturb purpose! Seagulls are meant to forage for food at beaches; to fish and swim and glide on silent wings, swooping low over water, or flying high with currents, flying in joyful abandon; seagulls are not meant to be hovering over garbage waiting for a chance to swoop. How quickly purpose can be overtaken by the temptation of an easy meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment