The Air Above

The three-day weekend was a lovely time of relaxation for my wife and me, helped along in no small part by the weather. The air has changed, the sun’s power seemingly more remote, and the nighttime chill very pleasant. The dogs let us sleep in all three mornings, and we kept windows open during the night, the cool temperatures lulling us and soothing our tired limbs. It’s easy for me to forget how restorative sleep is until I reach a certain point of exhaustion and then am allowed to catch up. The word “rejuvenation” comes closest to how it feels, and this morning I feel rejuvenated.

On Sunday, Jinx brought me a small rabbit he had caught and killed. When I took if from him, the little body was still warm. Mrs. Orr coaxed Jinx inside the house so I could dispose of the rabbit. I understand that dogs are going to hunt and I accept this; I just don’t want to watch the dining experience. I took the little rabbit to a nearby fenced pasture and left him there, admiring his sleek beauty and feeling sad that his little life was cut short. But all things happen as they must, as they will, as they do.

I can hear the screech owl down in the holler every morning now, and sometimes in the evenings after full dark. His ghostly whinny is a certain soundtrack for the autumn, which is suddenly upon us. One of his kind took up residence in our barn a few years ago, and he was a beauty. I think my comings and goings proved too intrusive for him, for he only stayed a couple of weeks before moving on. I wish another screech owl would lodge with us. I find them to be very compelling creatures.

Knowing that I have to be around my coworkers today sends a smudge of dread into my rested heart. Their drama, their gossip, their manipulations, their coarseness…these things all roil the waters of my heart, and I am a foolish man to so quickly and so easily forget the peace that the holiday weekend worked into my soul. On the drive to work, I whispered prayers that I might keep my eyes and my thoughts and my mind to myself and not to allow myself to be begrimed with the pettiness of what is sure to come in the next several hours.

I will be mindful that at the end of the work day, my lovely wife will be there to show her love to me, and my spotted menace of a dog will give me unfeigned delight, and the trees that ring our property and the birds that live in them will soothe me. This is what I will hold onto throughout this day, this day in which I move below the sweet air above me, the air cut by the paths of the winged wonders that move me so often to reverie.

~ S. K. Orr