Three Hawks, Two Hummingbirds, One Coyote

We come upon many experiences in life unexpectedly - some welcomed, some unwanted. The glory is how we handle these surprises. My morning was a compendium of the delightful and the fearful.

A little after 6 AM, I saw three red-tailed hawks gliding above the hill, tipping their wings and making a trilling whistle as they circled prey, their beautiful movements below wisps of pink tinged cirrus clouds. Hawks remind me to look at the big picture, to keep my focus above the minutia of life, knowing there is always a higher purpose.

An hour later, on my hike, I passed bright red bougainvillea, tall California fan palms, and laurels with thick, gnarled trunks. Two hummingbirds swooped past me, their red and green bellies shimmering. I thought about my friend who believes when these picaflors fly near her, it is the spirit of her deceased brother greeting her.

Twenty minutes later I was charging up a hill and rounded a corner to begin the loop back home. A lone brindled coyote stood in the middle of the street, head down, staring at me. I’ve seen quite a few coyotes on my hikes, and I’ve never had one lunge at me or growl, but I have had them follow me. I spun around and walked quickly back down the hill, looking over my shoulder. The coyote followed me and then stood at the crest of the hill, as if to make sure I kept going. I picked up my pace, and the next time I turned around she was gone.

As in life, we saunter along, enjoying beauty and peace if we’re lucky, and then one day a problem looms before us and we have to choose a path. I could have been braver and tried to walk past the coyote, but that also could have been a dangerous and potentially harmful choice. My about-face and strategizing what to do if she chose to come after me was instinctual. A metaphor for encountering unexpected challenges where we must call on inner wisdom and outer knowledge to guide us.

At home, I googled “what to do if you see a coyote in your neighborhood.” The general consensus was: “Exhibit caution; if it approaches, yell, wave your arms (some coyotes out in daytime are probably more habituated to humans). Do not run away. Most coyotes avoid people.”

I remembered how fast my heart was pounding at the sight of the animal and being unsure of my safety. The coyote, who was also on a walk, possibly searching for water in this time of excessive heat and drought (Friday, July 9, 2021, Death Valley, CA reached 130 degrees, the hottest temperature recorded on Earth), has safety concerns as well. We are two sentient beings who were able to share the street and notice each other’s lives. Like the hawks had shown me earlier: “Look at the big picture.” All sentient beings are on this Earth together.

“Let us be aware of the source of being,
common to us all and to all living things.
Evoking the presence of the Great Compassion,
let us fill our hearts with our own compassion—
towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be
the cause of suffering to each other.
With humility, with awareness of the existence of life,
and of the suffering that are going on around us,
let us practice the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.”

― Thích Nhất Hạnh
http://www.plumvillage.org/