For a variety of reasons, I’ve been contemplating archetypes – especially those about aging.  This post is about some of this reflection:

Once upon a time, I thought winter would bundle me in purple, like the lady who would wear purple when she was old.  Old, though, is always just a few years more than your current age.   On the first snow of the season, I paused to think about my life and future.  Who should appear at the back pond’s edge but the Great Blue Heron, bundled in her grey blue plumage hunched to hold her stance against the brutal wind.

This was the first time, I had observed the Heron in the snow.  She may have been there before many times, but this is the first I  noticed her.  The first time I really saw her was on a Spring day a few years before.   Over the years, she appears at interesting times in my life.   She presented herself so often that I began to note her character.  A few weeks ago, I wrote this short poem and realized, purple is a lovely color to wear whether you are old or not, but as I grow older,  I wish to cultivate the character of the majestic heron! Continue reading