We hear and read a lot about happiness; who’s happy and who’s not, what to do to be happy, etc. Quite another story is peace, which is beginning to get the attention it deserves. Like the petite pansy lost in a bed of tall yellow marigolds, the word “delight” is seldom mentioned.
I have two 30-foot long rows of peony plants. Today there was no wind so I began meticulously spraying weeds around the plants being careful not to spray my crop. A few years ago I had a considerable amount of shredded paper I used as a weed barrier by laying it thickly on the ground, watered it thoroughly and walked on it to pack it, but most of it has deteriorated. I was making my way down the row with my nose to ground and a keen eye out for weeds when what to my wondering eyes did I see? A miniature nest and one tiny speckled egg! Delight filled my whole being.
Last year, killdeer had nested among the peonies, but something had got to the eggs before they could hatch. I was delighted that the parents had the courage to try the same location again. Baby killdeer look like darling little fluff balls on long legs. They are fully feathered when they hatch. As soon as they dry, sometimes in as little as five minutes they will leave the nest.
A delight is like an exclamation mark in life. Short and sweet but too often quickly forgotten unless the moment is treasured and shared.
Treasure the delight!
Delight in sharing it!
P.S. Since first writing this, the mother killdeer continued to lay an egg every other day until there were four.