From out of the blue...

This morning had been hectic. Perhaps I should pause here immediately and say that, compared to ordinary workers in America, I don't have anything to complain about. My little part-time retirement job is about as cushy as it gets. So with that out of the way...I had to gas up the bus this morning, always a challenge in that diesel fuel is messy and I wear gloves to keep it at a distance. Plus, I had to load a cooler and a large first-aid kit onto my bus.

Then after my usual morning run, I had to somehow get from Fair Park to a school near Jupiter and McCree in less than 30 minutes. When I got to LBJ, well, it was LBJ: totally parking lot-ish. I diverted immediately, then called Brett in San Antonio for alternate directions, since he's real good at that. I arrived at the school with 2 minutes to spare. The bus was quickly saturated with kindergarten kiddoes who were amped up for a trip to the country. Our destination was the DISD Environmental Education facility, buried deep in the hinterlands of Seagoville.

I noted that my shoulders and neck were tensed and tired as I drove the 35-minute trip. I had now been driving 3 hours. We got there safely and I finally was able to pull the bus into a remote parking lot. This environmental center is perfect to teach city kids about nature. It is miles away from anything and is surrounded by trees, flora, and fauna. (I never met those girls.) There is no noise to speak of. It's one cool place.

So I finally got to turn off the engine, and for a moment just sat there and relaxed. Then, the neatest thing happened. A bluebird alit on one of my two fisheye mirrors mounted in front of the bus. She was gorgeous, sporting a color of blue that would be hard to replicate at Sherwin-Williams. Then she started hovering in front of the mirror, apparently watching herself and enjoying what she saw. Then she flew 4 feet to the left and alit on the other mirror, then began to hover and watch her reflection on this side. Back and forth, back and forth. I was blessed with about a five-minute show. It was absolutely mesmerizing.

When she finally left for her next engagement, I noticed that stress and tension were gone. Thanks, God!