Sometimes it's the unexpected things that happen in a day that make all the difference and I don't mean in the negative sense. Take today for instance. I had to drive to Skowhegan with my youngest son, Finn, and do a bunch of errands, before driving him back up to Jackman where he lives. The time shopping was fun, in its own way, getting Finn things he needed for his place, buying him groceries for the week and all. The drive north was fine; actually Finn drove so he could get some more practice and we chatted off and on the whole way up. But, then I was faced with an hour and a half drive back to my house, alone...By the time I was leaving Jackman, it was 3 pm and the half a sandwich I ate at lunch time was not fueling me any more. I drank a bunch of water, but still felt fatigued. So, I drove along, on a fairly empty road, looking at the pretty snow covered trees and the rising almost full moon on my left and the beginning to set sun on my right.
When I reached Wyman Lake, where the Kennebec River turns into the lake, I saw something big and black out on the snow covered ice. I couldn't tell for a minute or two what it was, but as I continued to drive towards it, I realized it was not a log or a snowmobile, but a large bald eagle. Just sitting there, hanging out in the snow, caught between the slanting rays of the sun on one side and those of the moon on the other. It was amazing and I stopped right in the middle of the road to watch it. It flew about ten feet and landed again, moving from one sunny spot to another and then it lifted off and headed west, towards the mountains on the other side of the lake.
And suddenly, I wasn't tired any more and made the rest of the trip home safely, arriving just at dark. If I hadn't had to make that drive, if we hadn't puttered in Walmart or stopped at Olympia Sport, I would have left Jackman earlier and might never have seen that eagle, all outlined in golden light.
It's those sudden, unexpected things that can make or break a day; this was a good day thanks to that eagle.
good thing you knew enough to look again at that black shape out on the river and not just drive by...good thing, too that you weren't being tailgated by a loaded, speeding logging truck
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