January 31, 2026: My morning walk in gratitude…

Описание: Wings, Waves, and the Way Forward…

This morning, as I walked from my car toward the pier, I paused at the canals and found a great egret standing tall and still, like a quiet guardian of the water. Just as I took him in, a cormorant suddenly surfaced with a fish in his beak. I could watch them for hours. There’s something so calming about the way they move through the water, so peaceful and focused on exactly what they’re meant to do.

When I reached the pier, the surfers were already lined up, waiting for their waves like students waiting for a lesson from the ocean. The weather felt perfect. The kind of perfect you don’t take for granted. Sun on the water, a soft breeze, and that feeling in your chest that says, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

One surfer caught a wave and right behind him came the birds, swooping in with their own kind of joy. I always love how happy they are to see me. It feels like a reunion every morning. Pegleg was there today. I missed him yesterday, but he followed me all the way down the pier just to make sure I noticed him. I knew he would. Honey Girl took her usual place on my arm, and when I called Domino, she came right to me. I just love them. These small daily connections mean more to me than I can explain.

I held up my message this morning and read it again: “January is almost over. Honor the progress you’ve made. Remember the goals you set and keep moving forward into 2026 with purpose.”

Standing there with birds circling, surfers riding waves, and the water glowing beneath the sky, those words felt real. Progress doesn’t always look loud or dramatic. Sometimes it looks like showing up again. Sometimes it looks like slowing down enough to notice a bird standing tall or a wave rolling in.

This life, these mornings, these feathered friends… it truly keeps getting better every day. And I feel so blessed to witness it.

Capturing beauty, sharing light.
—April

Morning Gratitude Thought:
Grateful for egret stillness, cormorant courage, surfers waiting patiently, and birds that find me every day. Progress doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it whispers through wings and waves.