The Barred Owl and the Writer’s Life
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By Tim Anderson
“Here’s looking at you, kid.”
–Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart
There’s a path near my home that I walk quite frequently. The path itself is asphalt and it winds through a stand of trees along the edge of a creek. Though it’s in the middle of a populace suburb, I often spot wildlife. Deer are frequent visitors, as are Great Blue Heron, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, and raccoons. A less frequent visitor, or at least less visible, is the Barred Owl.
Or, so I thought.
I occasionally hear an owl when I’m walking early in the morning, or toward sunset. But, try as I might, I never have any luck spotting them. Then, just after dawn one morning, I happened to eye one on a tree’s root that was sticking out from the creek’s bank. The creek bank averages six to eight feet in depth and many tree roots poke through the earth and hang over the creek. It’s the perfect perch from which an owl can hunt.
The owl I spotted was several feet below my eye level - closer to my shoe top level. I was shocked. I’d been looking high in the trees for months trying to find the source of the haunting hoots that pierced the woods. Little did I know I’d been walking right past this beautiful, dark-eyed owl time and again.
Now that I know their secret, I catch sight of a Barred Owl two or three times a week.
How does this apply to the writer’s life? Well, sometimes what we’re searching for really isn’t that far beyond our grasp. It’s not a matter of changing our path, but of adjusting our focus.
Stay steady, keep your eyes open and continue to discover the hidden treasures of your chosen path.
Enjoy the journey.
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Tim Anderson specializes in writing health content and press releases. Check out his bio. and other samples of his work by clicking on his name above.
Topics: writer's life, Tim Anderson, The Medical Migrant, wildlife |