Windows to the Soul

On our way home from town one quiet afternoon, we witnessed something we will never forget. A large great grey owl suddenly glided across the road right in front of us, its wings moving in near silence before landing gracefully on a nearby fencepost.

We quickly pulled over, hearts racing.

As I stepped out with my camera, something unexpected happened.

The owl lifted off the post… and flew directly toward me.

For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still as it landed on a small surveyor’s stake in the ditch between us. There was no fear, no urgency—only curiosity. It felt as though this wild, elusive bird had chosen to come closer… to observe me just as I was observing it.

At that distance, a full-body photograph was impossible.

But what I captured instead was something far more powerful.

Through my lens, I found myself face to face with the owl’s striking yellow eyes, deep, steady, and impossibly captivating. It felt less like looking at a bird… and more like looking through a window into something ancient and wise.

We stood there together in silence, connected for just a fleeting moment.

Slowly, I stepped back, not wanting to break the stillness. Even as we drove away, I looked back to see him still perched on that stake, watching… as if guarding that quiet stretch of land.

Moments like this are rare.

They remind us that when we slow down, nature has a way of meeting us halfway—and sometimes, even looking right back

 - Stan Masters

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