"Uno"

How silly that I find myself worrying about a one-legged bird when I don't see him for a few days. "Uno," I call him.

Seemingly oblivious to his disability, he hops into the surf to claim juicy morsels when he sees them. His tiny wings beat furiously against the pull of waves, which mire him down into sand on that one frail matchstick of a leg. I hold my breath in fear that he will drown as he finally shakes off salty foam and works his way to higher ground.

Today, I saw him chase away two-legged, feathered competitors for an interesting tidbit on the beach. He hops along with attitude while they dart in and out of the surf. He stands his ground, dares fate, while they fly away.

Bad weather may be ahead for the weekend and I worry about his fate. He lives moment to moment while too frequently I/we become tangled in worry.

"There are two ways of meeting difficulties: You alter the difficulties or you alter yourself to meet them."

~~Phyllis Bottome