I know.  I know.  You are thinking, “Lisa, we just saw pictures of these American Coot chicks two days ago.  They are always eating!”  It’s true.

I’ve been mulling over why I am perfectly happy taking photos of Coot chicks again.  Perhaps I am drawn by their semi-cuteness.  Maybe I’m a sucker for observing the tender moments between the parents and their chicks.  Sometimes I’m motivated by wanting to get a better shot the next time I see them.  There’s an aspect of comfort in seeing that they are surviving and thriving.  For the present moment, the Coots are what are here.

These birds are also absorbed in the present moment.  Often, that involves eating.  Sometimes, it means napping.  At other times, it means floating in calm water on a warm Sunday afternoon.  They are not distracted by “to do” lists and cluttered lives.  Their full attention is given to what is important.  At the moment, it is teaching their little ones how to pull up yummy underwater marsh vegetation.

Maybe that’s one thing that draws me to the Marsh.  It is an opportunity to come away and to be engaged in the moment rather than inundated with life’s many demands.  It’s a chance to come away and single-task, just like the Coots.