Year 1: The Dandelion & The Ant

Essay on identifying with a totem animal:

"Everyday as I walk to work they swoop and swirl over head. I wade through a sea of them as they pad about on the sidewalk. Sometimes I bring crackers to toss to them. I like watching as they become braver and braver inching towards me with one weary eye turned in my direction.

One of the simplest things in the world that makes my heart the happiest is finding a feather. A terrible day can be turned around by one of these treasures left behind by a careless bird. And they leave them behind a lot.

Seagulls are abundant in my part of the world. They congregate everywhere. Their calls pierce the air from dawn to dusk. And although they are not loved by many I find them to be funny, charming and beautiful.

I admire their adaptability. They live anywhere they are at the moment and share even the smallest spaces. They are at home as much on the sea as on land.

I admire their resourcefulness. They catch food with a simple whoosh into the lapping waves. I’ve also seen them beg food from tourist and scavenge from leftovers.

I admire their tenacity. I once sat and watched a seagull attempting to gather fabric for her nest for more than half an hour. In the end she only managed to pull away a tiny scrap but seemed satisfied with herself nonetheless.

I admire their simplicity. Gulls are not overly intelligent but make up for it with their carefree lifestyle. They seem to live life moment to moment without the pressure of goals.

I’ve never lived anywhere that had gulls before but I still feel very connected to them. Just being near them has a profound effect on my mood. I love their calls as they ride the puffs of wind. I could sit and admire their aerial ballet for hours. I long to be up there with them, floating. I appreciate their cunning as they vie for bread or space on a narrow pillar. I smile at their simply being there in the moment. I wish I could live without a care in the world more than the next meal and a place to sleep for the night.

Just the thought of assembling an alter in honor of the seagull makes me feel sort of giddy. It gives me a reason to observe them, to try to understand them better. I connect on every level.

I collect the feathers that they drop and wish that they were my own. I try to feel the wind under my body. I hear the cries of my flock. I understand the waves as I ride the tides. I live hear and now and have no past nor future. I stretch my wings and know that life is good. My spirit is free. I am a gull."

Saturday, May 19, 2007