I’ve been wanting to write about my eagle ever since this happened. Of course I posted in Facebook about the events that week – getting an up close and in person visit with one of the most magnificent birds that exist on the planet. But what I didn’t tell you is how and why that experience changed me.
I found him by the river one day close to Christmas. We’d spent the week at our cabin in West Virginia and that morning I was hiking my usual sunrise route around the outer border of the property which included the back border of the river. I like to pause my hike at a place on the river where the rocks make perfect seats and I can breathe and meditate before heading back to the cabin.
I leaped up from the river bed to the top of the bank and as I took the next few steps on the path leading back home, I looked up from my phone after clicking off the camera and there he was pacing across a big bough that hung over the river.
Stopping in my tracks with a gasp I quickly pulled the phone out of my pocket, swiping furiously and began shooting pictures. I stepped closer and he stayed! I snapped away. I stepped even closer and he still paced, looking down at the ground and then back up at me, until he finally flew off down the river and landed somewhere just out of sight.
I arrived back at the cabin armed with eagle photos and waved my phone in front of my husband’s face until he paid attention. We knew eagles were around, but had never seen them on our property before. This was a cool sighting!
A week or two later we came back to the cabin for a weekend and I couldn’t wait to take my hike and see if I’d get another glimpse. My husband walked up the road after doing some fishing and found me, “I saw your friend down there,” he smiled. I laced up my boots and we walked back down to the river armed with the “good” camera this time.
We slowly scanned the edge of the water where my hubby had seen him and then followed the river downstream, carefully watching, until we found him. Only this time he was on the ground. And not going anywhere. The closer we got the more I worried. “Back off honey, something’s not right,” I said to my husband who was now twenty feet away from the bird and not hearing me up on the bank. “Honey!” I shouted, “Leave him alone now,” I tried. And our eagle friend, with a very obviously messed up wing, slid into the water and swam across to the other side, where he limped up onto the bank and sat.
I sat and stared at him for a really long time and thought about what to do. “Why don’t you go bring the kayak down here and I’ll go across and see if I can get him.” “He needs help, who should we call?” My mind was racing.
We found him again, for a couple more days, down on the bank, hopping around, and came to the conclusion that if he wasn’t rescued it would be bad news.
Birds, especially the big ones, have been a sign for me for a long time. Hawks are my usual sighting and sign; giving me the acknowledgement and message that I’m doing what I need to do, that everything is working out perfectly and to trust and let go… I see a lot of them. I smile and let go every time. But this boy was different. This was an eagle. I had seriously upgraded my “sign” this time.
I looked up the message about eagle in my Spirit Animal book and read things that delighted me about leadership and soaring higher to get a different perspective. I took this sighting to be a big sign, a big wake up call for my life. But this bird was injured. So what the heck did that mean?
Not sure why this bothered me so much but it did. I felt a lot of sadness and a lot of anxiety about helping this bird. So I began my email and phone call campaign, on Christmas Eve. Over the holiday week only one person would email me back – a local vet. She was kind, but didn’t offer any immediate solution. I’d have to wait until people got back from the break to expect a response. I knew it could be too late by then but I felt helpless.
We walked down to the river one more time before we left back to the city, and couldn’t find our eagle that day. I prayed he had found shelter, and food, and that he’d be okay. It seemed prayer was all I had at that point. I was so desperate to save this bird, that leaving that day was wrought with anxiety. Was I leaving him to die?
And then this week I get an email from a friend who lives on a neighboring property by the cabin that she’s read an article in their local paper about a rescued eagle. “Yes, please send it to me,” I begged her.
Our boy had been rescued. RESCUED! He was severely under weight, but alive and rehabilitating in a nearby animal hospital. The article mentioned a call they received about him…I wonder if they were talking about me. And I didn’t care. My email and phone call campaign somehow worked. This grand bird had lived, he survived, despite living on the ground for several weeks, despite the rainstorms that came that week, despite the odds.
I’ve been happy about a lot of things in my life, but this one hit me in a place in my heart I didn’t expect. I read the article and tears came down my face and I knew I had done the right thing by caring enough to make sure someone knew about him. So often we ignore what’s in front of us, think we can’t make a difference, or just don’t make that call…
When something matters to you, you’re called to help, or your heart pangs with an ache you can’t explain, you’re being called to do something, whatever you can do. I’m so glad I decided to make a big deal about the eagle that day, and that I called and emailed until someone paid attention. I’m so glad I knew I was doing the right thing and didn’t let that little voice of doubt or resignation stop me from taking action.
This story is just one example…there are so many daily opportunities to act on what matters to us. I’m reminded today, as I look at this amazing picture, that even when we don’t know if it’s helping, we should still act. We can trust that thing inside that knows. And we can do something, even if it’s small, to ease our aching heart.
Laura Probert, MPT is a holistic physical therapist, published author, poet, and black belt in Tae Kwon Do. You can find her inspirational writing featured in places like The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, Best Self Magazine, The Wellness Universe, Wild Sister Magazine, PersonalGrowth.com, Tiny Buddha and The Elephant Journal. She’s serious about integrating mind body and soul as a journey to passion and power and it’s her mission to show you how. Find her books and programs at www.LauraProbert.com and www.facebook.com/kickasswarriorgoddess
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