A Lesson in Life from a Roseate Spoonbill

“How things look on the outside of us depends on how things are on the inside of us.”

 A typical morning morning walking the trail getting some exercise and taking some shots. At this particular spot along the slough about one-half inland from Galveston Bay I came across a roseate spoonbill feeding alone in the water.

As I stopped to take a few shots I quickly noticed the roseate wasn't walking and feeding as I have seen them do many times before. The roseate's I've seen always walk in the water with their spoonbill below the surface and move it back and forth, left and right, like a wiper blade on a car. This spoonbill, alone where I normally have seen two or more together, was flapping it's wings to get enough height to move from one spot to another. It make continuous short flights to feed in different spots.

It was great to take photos because I was able to get some good views of the beautifully expanded pink wingspan, but I was puzzled as to why the roseate was behaving in such a manner. My only thought as I watched and took pictures was maybe this roseate never learned the technique as I had seen in all the others. I moved on, took more shots in various other spots along the trail, but thought of that roseate most of the morning as I was both puzzled at it's actions and curious how good some of the shots were going to come out.

Later that morning when I got home, over a cup of coffee and breakfast, I was scanning through the pictures I had taken to see if I took any good ones. As I was going through them on my large flat panel screen I saw what I didn't see through the lens of the camera. The roseate behavior was no longer a mystery to me. Although at first I was captivated by the beauty of the bird in the photo, as I looked closer and studied it more, I was saddened by what I saw. The roseate made those short tiny flights to move and feed in the water because it had a broken leg and the bone was protruding near the knee. 

"Wow!" I said to myself, leaning back in my chair and thinking. There I was enjoying the beauty of the bird, hoping to take a great photo, not understanding the movements of the bird, only to come to realize that the bird was struggling to survive. A sunken feeling came over me.

How often in life do we quickly see something and come to judgement, not knowing why someone behaves the way they do? How often to see the beauty or success of another and not come to think that their struggles may be greater than ours and their pains stronger? How often do we judge and condemn the failures and problems of others without knowing the path that brought them there or opportunities and chances they didn't have or didn't take that put them on a path they would rather not be on today?

If our minds could freeze the moments we experience daily to give us time to analyze it as a photographer may analyze his or her work, I think we'd see more and feel more. In this fast paced world where we are so much in a hurry to get through the day and through the week, to finish a project or take our next vacation, if for only one part of the day we can think more about what we are seeing and experiencing and allow ourselves to feel and react to it, our lives will be more fulfilling: we would be less critical and more compassionate.

Every day is precious, open up your soul, be on-guard for those special moments and make a difference.

It's Not About The Cookies

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama

It was a casual Sunday afternoon, staying home, grilling and doing odds and ends around the house I can’t get to during the week. Sometime around 2pm, while working upstairs, I heard the doorbell. I heard Lori answer it with a nice greeting, then I heard her ask “How much do I owe you?” I then heard her repeat, “Twelve dollars, okay, give me just a minute.”

They were the Girl Scout Cookies she had ordered and they just came in. Ten years ago I’d ask if they were the Do-Si-Do’s that I loved or the Thin Mints I’d like to eat after refrigerated. But these days, I don’t have much a sweet tooth and have some discipline around cookies and ice cream, where I confess I have weakness in other areas.

I didn’t think much more about this transaction until the next day, Monday at work.

I heard the voice of a gentleman who works for us outside my office door in some conversation. I took from the pieces I heard he was giving away some cookies. My door being opened, he walked in with a box and offered me some girl scout cookies. Not a cookie, boxes of cookies, as he was carrying some boxes around in a fairly large cardboard case.

Bobby told me that he had his Girl Scout Cookies delivered yesterday and he bought more than he would eat. I asked him how many he bought and he sheepishly smiled and told me $150 worth. Bobby doesn’t have six kids in the house, he’s single, so I asked him why he bought so many, somewhat knowingly I knew the answer.

“She was so cute” he said. “As I looked at her sheet she only had orders for one from other folks and I kinda of felt bad for her, so I wanted to help her out. “

I thought back about our order for $12 and felt a little guilty. I asked Bobby a few questions more about this. The little girl was about seven years old and she was with her little sister as their father paraded them through his neighborhood. The rest of the story I knew.

If you know Bobby, you know he is one of the most compassionate guys you’ll meet. He will sacrifice personal pleasure to make someone else happy (but that is what makes him happy.) It wasn’t about the cookies, it was about pleasing that girl and her feeling special. The $150 meant nothing. The ability to help someone and make them feel special meant everything. That is his “WHY”.

This is one dot in that girls life that one day I hope it helped create a bright and happy future. I hope she was able to ‘wow’ her troop with the order and feel a sense of accomplishment that elevates her in life and provides a confidence she can draw on forever.

It’s not about the cookies, it’s about young girls growing, developing self-esteem and confidence. It’s about you and me, and people like Bobby letting the compassion come out of ourselves, to see how we can impact others, and let the goodness in us out. It’s seeing beyond the obvious and transcending the moment.

We all are given opportunities to do something special like I believe Bobby did. The words we use, the few seconds we wait to hold the door for someone, the compliment we give, all have an effect. Our actions cascade through eternity.

It's In Your Heart

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” Mother Teresa



She was only in 3rd Grade, but she had already learned to be a ‘giver’. (Actually, I think it’s natural and most of us are born that way, we just become desensitized, look outward less and inward more.) She recognized a fellow student in need financially; something the young boy in her classroom whispered to her.

It wasn’t much money she had saved up from Christmas and birthday’s, but she knew she had $80 dollars, and when on the way home from school she told the story of the boy in her class who had a need and she wanted to give him her money, it gives a parent a warm feeling that your daughter’s heart is in the right place. But in the quiet of your mind it can also make you think if you have been so kind. Do I do enough?

I think back on that day, I think back of the child who had put a pair of socks on her Christmas list, and the little girl who asked for a bed. There are so many folks who need US to help. I CHALLENGE myself, my family and you to find a way to help others this holiday season.

Some of us have time to share, some of us have jackets we haven’t worn in years hanging in the closet that can keep someone warm, and there are those of us who have may have a few dollars to spare to help a charitable organization or church feed someone. The objective is getting out and helping; helping someone get through difficult times…….sending a child to school who has eaten a breakfast…..letting strangers know that people do care. Do what you know you should do!

If you read this, I hope it inspires you to help someone, a family, a friend, a stranger. If it does, please pass it on.

May your dreams be filled and blessings shower upon you!