After three days sick with the flu, my oldest son was well enough to venture outside for a brief walk. “Breathe the fresh air,” I exclaimed to him and comically exaggerated my inhale with a huge “Ahh!” He giggled, a delight to see bubble up from him not only because he’d been ill but because he’s a young teen. He keeps his emotions close these days.
He complained a little about the chilly wind, but we marched on, being led by the dog, who had her business to do. As she sniffed the ground, I thought of how she “reads” the grass in a language indecipherable to me. There could be mystical secrets written on the ground. Or maybe poop jokes!
I looked back at my son. He had relaxed during the walk and was in his own thoughts, living his rich inner life. We are mysteries to each other, even to our closest family.
We reached the edge of the woods where the dog found her perfect spot. Suddenly, a hawk’s cry pierced the air like a siren above us. My son and I located the raptor perched on a nearby tree from the highest branch, like a throne.
Brian Doyle wrote, “Maybe being raptorous is in some way rapturous. Maybe what the word rapture really means is an attention so ferocious that you see the miracle of the world as the miracle it is.” I know my son, my beautiful boy, gazed at the bird as if the talons of his mind had clenched it.
The hawk broke the spell as it lifted into the air and sailed away from us over the trees. It was time for us to walk home, but not before I pulled my son into a hug, “Dad!” He whined, but he smiled, too, like maybe he knew what I was trying to say.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of the book with Wipf and Stock Publishers titled This Is the Day: A Year of Observing Unofficial Holidays about Ampersands, Bobbleheads, Buttons, Cousins, Hairball Awareness, Humbugs, Serendipity, Star Wars, Teenagers, Tenderness, Walking to School, Yo-Yos, and More. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where he is a student of joy.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines