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 I used to envy them, somehow. They go down there
to the warm coastal areas where the jacks swim and the nights are
chilly but livable this time of year. If they’re especially
sensitive geese, they’ll keep going until there are mangoes and palm
trees and the language of the people is Spanish.
But they cross over here in their long, languorous vees, and all we
can do is look up and wonder what our lives would be like if we
could go along. To fly over the farms and valleys, to coast along on
the rising thermals, to sail down the long way to warmth and sand
and comfort, how nice it might be.
But if we did that, we’d miss the snow, and the fire in the
fireplace when the work was done in the evening. We’d miss how the
snowy world looks just at dusk when the snow is an alpenglow orange
and tells us secrets it has saved for us all these years.
If we went to the winter feeding grounds, we wouldn’t be able to
appreciate how splendid the spring will be with the basking rays of
sun on our necks and the swelling of the buds in the fruit trees. To
truly appreciate warmth, we must first get cold, and that’s
evidently a part of our lives that the geese won’t ever get to
share.
Of course, they seem quite content to sail on down the southern
winds to the warm places, leaving us to wrap ourselves tighter in
thicker clothes and dream of sandy beaches and snorkels. Have a good
winter, geese. Eat a crab or two for me. [to top of second
column] |
You see, I’ll be here for you to honk at when you head north again
in the spring.
I’ll be right here, living in the same place. Cold or hot, windy or
still, my world and my responsibilities are here, and I’ll be right
here taking care of them.
It’s my way of doing things, and I’m used to it.
[Text from file received from
Slim Randles]
Ol' Jimmy Dollar
is Slim Randles' first children's book. The book is for kids
K-3rd grades and is even better when parents read it with children.
Ol' Jimmy Dollar makes for sweet dreams and if you have a dog
even better. Available now on Amazon.
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