Gathering Beneath the Tree ✨🌳✨
"Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.”
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
Photo: Shoreline Park, Santa Barbara Visitors Guide
If you take a stroll up at Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara, along the sidewalk overlooking the sea, you might notice, beneath one of the eucalyptus trees, a small crowd gathered, all gazing up into the branches.
And if you hadn’t heard yet, you might wonder, pause, and even ask:
“What are you all looking at?”
A kind stranger might turn toward you with shining eyes and softly reply:
“The owls."
And on some days, you might have the good fortune to stand beside someone — say, a woman in a bright pink top — who knows quite a lot about owls.
“Are they flying yet?” I ask her.
“No, not yet,” she replies. “They’re branching.”
She then explains how the three owlets have begun making their way from the nest onto the curving limbs of the tree.
I admit, they’re hard to see — so beautifully camouflaged, their feathers blending into the texture of the bark.
The mama owl is easier to spot, perched nearby, robust and watchful.
And if you’re there on another day, you might meet the man who is not looking up, but down at the ground — equally excited by the tiny bones and bits of fur in the owl pellets he’s found.
It’s true, not everyone is enchanted by owls.
But I am.
So I return to the tree often, checking on the little family, watching the owlets’ progress.
“Will they stay here?” I ask the woman in pink.
“Not necessarily,” she says. “It’s all about food and hunting.”
And then something maternal stirs in me, and I find myself asking:
“Will they stay together if they move?”
“No,” she tells me gently. “Owls are independent.” Which reminds me of sea turtles, who make their long solitary journeys through the ocean for years.
But back to the tree, because this is what strikes me most:
The way this small occurrence has become a kind of daily community gathering — a shared moment of wonder and reverence. Whispered conversations. Strangers helping one another see.
Such a glorious feeling!
“What you will see is love coming out of the trees, love coming out of the sky, love coming out of the light. You will perceive love from everything around you. This is the state of bliss.” ~ Don Miguel Ruiz
Finally, I ask the woman in pink one more thing:
“Is this a natural owl habitat?”
“Well, they typically prefer quiet,” she replies, as soccer balls fly across the park behind us.
And that’s when it occurs to me:
Perhaps these Glorians are creating — for those of us who stand here, even briefly — the connection, the stillness, and the quiet wonder we long for.
“We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back.” ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
REFLECTIVE WRITING PROMPTS: ✨✍️✨
Paying attention …
What you will see …
Everything around you …
Sharing the gifts …
Such a glorious feeling …
Thank you for reading my "Divine Inklings" ... I always love to hear from you.
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💖 Janet
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