Nine Herons in a Row

The last nine mornings in a row, at approximately 6:30 a.m., I have seen the same blue heron standing on the same downed tree in the creek, hunting and angled toward the water in precisely the same manner.

On the fifth sighting, I was astonished. At number nine, I intuited something bordering on cosmic was going on.

Is this a message from the spirit world? Blue herons have played an interesting role in my creative life; I once taught a blue-heron themed writing workshop to students. I also had the extraordinary experience of observing a heron rookery.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of Native American tales of folklore involving animals, but have never read one where anyone or anything encounters the same being in nature nine mornings in a row.

Maybe I should write it up. If he’s there tomorrow morning and we hit ten, I will. I must.