by Ethan Seavey
I’ve heard owls are signs of a big shift in your life; I also know that I only really look for owls during those times.
Exercise for me is short lived or long lived, short lived to match my attention or long lived to accommodate my frequent breaks for walking, exploring, writing, texting.
I’m running through the gulch and looking at the trees where the owl usually sits in the morning. It’s not morning really anymore. The sun is big in the sky and the owl is nowhere to be seen. I think to see the owl and to prove the shift in my life I’d need to wake up earlier.
After running out of the woods I follow the sidewalk to the water front and walk along that for a while. I see seagulls approach an old man who is bemused that they’ve identified him as a possible food source.
I walk down a pier for a while. It’s meant for fishing but it’s too early in the season for fishing so I don’t see anybody reeling in anything, and I’m looking for marvelous life-changing marlins. I watch a couple kiss on the other side of the pier. They point off into the distance at a warship.
As I run back to the woods, I have the thought that I don’t need to see an animal to decide I’m going through a life shift. That’s when I notice a globe in the water.
I saw a seal
Breach its chest into the air
After gasping for air
And after gasping myself
It fell back into the water peacefully and disappeared
And I have no proof
A few minutes later I walked away disappointed and a little awestruck. I picked up my speed and saw the seals again right by where I needed to turn. I ran alongside them a while to get a picture but I enjoyed myself too long and they disappeared again.
I’ve heard owls are a symbol of a big life shift and marlins are the symbol of a big accomplishment. I’ve heard seals are big animals and now know that’s true, at least.