“Behold this day. It is yours to make." —Black Elk
I love when I decide to take a bike ride on the creek trails with no expectations and most times-if I’m not in a rush-nature comes out to greet me. It was biting cold out, but I dressed warmly. White fluffy shapeshifting cumulus clouds were everywhere, but unlike this morning the sun made its appearance and the sky turned blue. There were an abundance of aquatic life everywhere. I was getting ready to pass the Vasona Reservoir spillway. For all practical purposes it is a waterfall, one that roars with excitement. I pass it all the time. This time I felt a call to get off my bike and climb down the embankment to get a closer view. Unexpectedly, there were two types of herons. One, a Great Grey Heron in the middle of the water feasting on tiny fish. It found its sweet spot. Their beaks are like spears, and every few seconds they use it to pierce their prey. Across the way, standing on a grey cement platform of the dam was a small black-headed heron standing still as if it were a sentry guarding the gate. I got back on my bike and rode closer to the rust colored pedestrian and bikers bridge where I saw a number of ducks of every conceivable color that were resting near the waters edge. One friendly one came right up to me.
There is an old Sioux Indian phrase, Mitkuye oyansin—“we are all related"—often voiced at the end of a prayer. It is an affirmation of the interconnectedness of all things, and respect for all things. From the earliest of times, it was understood that beyond the visible world, there exists the presence of an invisible world, where everything is infused with a sense of sacredness. Plains Indians believed that everything in nature has a spirit. This includes all animals, rocks, rivers, waterfalls, the sky, clouds, etc. Given the chance to be in nature, I’m all in, and one doesn’t have to drive or ride too far to experience it.
I hope you enjoy the photos which tells the story beyond words.
