I’ve often wondered about the big black birds soaring over IndianRock.art. At times, I find them perched atop a dead tree by the river’s bend. By morning, they trail behind the squawking crows and the early songbirds that fill the forest with sounds of a merry day. They, these black birds, commonly known as turkey vultures, with wing spans nearing six feet, ride the warming current upwards, circling around IndianRock.art.
Most of the time, over the years, I have ignored these majestic soaring birds. Lately, however, I have given them a longer glance, and over the past year, or so, I have developed a relationship with a few… as much of a relationship as a grounded bird can establish with birds of flight.
At first, I would yell at them, pointing upwards and waving my arms about. To no avail, they did not see me, or they just didn’t care; besides though, why would they pay any attention to me? They have their lives, and I have not anything to offer. I cannot fly. I can’t be like them. I don’t look like them. I don’t think like them. No matter. I kept trying.
Then one day, as they were circling high above me, I decided to try again, to garner their attention. I stretched my arms out and started to run in circles. Holy cow! They watched me dancing about. I could see them doing a doubletake, before flying off into the distance. I had made contact! I was so excited.
Over the following months, I would dance in circles whenever they flew over. The black birds would mimic my movements, or maybe it was the other way around. …not sure. One thing I was sure about, was that they acknowledged my existence. Not just that, they understood that I was trying to communicate with them. Even though we are different, they no longer ignored me. It was a mutual respect, between a grounded soul and the ones that fly without effort. I love those birds for that.
Anyways, my dancing about, when the black birds fly over, hasn’t stopped. They dance with me. We circle about. And when I return from a long trip, they recognize this. They remember me. They gather. They love me for who I am. They don’t want to change me. They except me, and we dance. What a wonderful relationship, and what an awesome feeling not to be ignored.
I came to Missouri to meditate, to form some type of offgrid retirement, and to offer my daughter a piece of land next to her brother. The events that led to this extraordinary discovery, IndianRock.art, is the work of God, a discovery I call ‘the path of Christ’. -Paul Marak
