POTENTIAL SILLY POST WARNING: On the day when millions of people tune in to watch the Superbowl, I thought we might look at things in a slightly different way. So here are some photographs, each of which draw attention to a superb owl!
First, this might remind us that there at least two ways to look at any situation or set of circumstances. Second, these are some awesome creatures and we ought to be awed by nature on a regular basis. It’s good for us!
Please don’t forget that there at least two ways to look at look at things – Super Bowl or Superb Owl.
And please be sure to make time to spend time in nature. You’ll surely see something awesome or maybe superb!
Thanks for taking a few moments to enjoy these photos and thanks for taking good care of you.
My Close Encounter with a Superb Owl
This truly superb owl is “Eva” (zoological classification for birds – ave – spelled backwards.) I had a very close encounter with this brilliant beast while visiting Yorkshire, England is 2015. The photograph was taken while Eva was looking away – perhaps playing coy. But a moment later she would look straight at me and make an impression I will never forget. In that instant when our eyes met I felt as though her talons sunk (painlessly) into my very core – my soul – that part of me that doesn’t show up on an x-ray.
In the moment I felt quite undone. I felt both terribly vulnerable and deeply, truly seen and known. Never has a close encounter with an animal evoked such a feeling within me. Beyond the pure beauty, grace, and power of this lovely creature, something inexplicable happened when she stared into my eyes. I was intrigued, frightened, and enchanted. Later it occurred to me that in order for Eva to have come into service and care of the wildlife organization that had her on display at the museum, she would need to be a survivor of trauma. Eva could only be lawfully in possession of the naturalists if she had been rehabilitated by them. Perhaps this seems a “bird-brained” idea, but I still wonder if Eva recognized me that day as a fellow trauma survivor. At any rate, I remain ever-grateful for her seeing me as an (un)feathered friend. Wise birds, indeed!
