Impermanence
A friend came to rest on my window today; she (not sure if really a he or she) glided in gently to land on the ledge outside my 9th floor office. She looked peaceful, gentle and very tame. She was a homing pigeon, obviously owned by someone because she had tags on her legs. We studied each other in silence. There was a window between us, a clear pane of glass which does not open, does not move. It separated us. Perhaps she knew that and that is why she did not move. We continued to watch each other; even as I nearly pressed my face to the pane she did not move. Her eyes blinked slowly; she stood for a long time looking at me. Then she sat down, ever so slowly, peacefully and restfully. Her head was in the shadows as the sun was shining brightly at that time.
I noticed then that her breath was evident. Her tail feathers would move slowly up and down in rhythm with her peaceful breathing. She did not move much now, nor did her eyes. She seemed to stop noticing her surroundings. She was very still now. So was I. The moment lingered.
Without warning and without any indication, she got up, turned her face into the bright sun and looked up, gazing directly into the powerful rays of sunlight. She sank back down and ever so slowly let her head fall to the side as her breath stopped. She died peacefully on my window sill.
Epilogue: What a truly grace-filled event I witnessed! What a marvel to have been here this moment! Within the sadness of it is a great teaching, a great teacher. Nothing is forever. Nothing lasts. All things must pass away. There is only this moment of silence: within and without. This is the only permanence. This is the core of all being, or all beings. Embrace it and you will find peace, joy and love right now. You are this. All of it!
Be well!