A heron saved my sanity. I was a mess: angry, deeply wounded, at the breaking point. I threw my skis into my old Volvo and drove into the wilderness of the Sinlahekin Wildlife area. On a snowy day, anyone could get lost in the its vastness and emptiness. Empty? Not really. It was filled with life of all kinds but it did NOT have any of my troubles. I stopped at a small lake to get out and move, hoping to lose some of my anger in the work of getting around it a few times. The sky was lowering and the towering peaks around me were hidden in that grey flatness that such a storm creates. Fat flakes fell in blankets all around. Then at the edge of the lake, near to me, from a place I knew was always thawed from a small spring there, a heron lifted off. His magnificent wings beat silently and carried him up and away, disappearing into the snowing sky, until he was out of sight. I stood still…amazed…slack-jawed in awe. And all my fears, hurts and anger were carried out of me.
People speak of transformative moments, and this was one for me. I will never forget the intense and natural beauty of that moment. Thank you for reviving a precious memory. I hope you found some serenity in your own time with herons. 😌
melinda anderson photography 
A heron saved my sanity. I was a mess: angry, deeply wounded, at the breaking point. I threw my skis into my old Volvo and drove into the wilderness of the Sinlahekin Wildlife area. On a snowy day, anyone could get lost in the its vastness and emptiness. Empty? Not really. It was filled with life of all kinds but it did NOT have any of my troubles. I stopped at a small lake to get out and move, hoping to lose some of my anger in the work of getting around it a few times. The sky was lowering and the towering peaks around me were hidden in that grey flatness that such a storm creates. Fat flakes fell in blankets all around. Then at the edge of the lake, near to me, from a place I knew was always thawed from a small spring there, a heron lifted off. His magnificent wings beat silently and carried him up and away, disappearing into the snowing sky, until he was out of sight. I stood still…amazed…slack-jawed in awe. And all my fears, hurts and anger were carried out of me.
People speak of transformative moments, and this was one for me. I will never forget the intense and natural beauty of that moment. Thank you for reviving a precious memory. I hope you found some serenity in your own time with herons. 😌