KyRose is curious in the moment. She is inquisitive and inviting to all that is (happening) in and around her. She follows her breath curiously. She listens to friends curiously. From the tweeting of a bird – to a tweet received online, she allows her curiosity to bubble and lead her inward and outward, as she rocks in the wake of the moment – open to follow its lead even further. The seed of curiosity is planted in her genes. It dangles like tendrils of a jelly fish seeking experience – as she feels her way through the universe and through daily life.
Yesterday, I was an enabler of this kind of curiosity. My kids’ enthusiasm to see the bald eagles featured in the morning paper, led us on a trek out to the Orange County Zoo. The female bald eagle that lives there in captivity (because of a loss of vision in one of her eyes) is now being, what seems to be, courted by a wild bald eagle. Zoo rangers suspect it’s a male. He visits her cage three to four times a day. Upon hearing the story, my kids instantly wanted to go visit them. I conceded and let curiosity drive us (…and I played my part dutifully behind the steering wheel).
An hour later, we pulled up to the zoo entrance just as it began drizzling rain. It was a short walk to the female’s cage (essentially a large netted habitat that included a few trees) and then we saw, perched on a tree about 10 to 15 feet away, the male. Such regal creatures, symbolizing leadership and free spirit – and in ancient times the sun. The drizzle now turned into a downpour. Dressed in our rain gear under umbrellas, we stood gazing up at them. They each sat calmly and still. I could see the raindrops dripping down the female’s feathery face and wings. Her name is Olivia and she’s six years old.
When the sky cleared, we looked for a rainbow but didn’t seem to see one.
Our curiosity soon led us elsewhere. Yet, now I wonder, if that net that lay between the eagles was ripped or should magically disappear, would they run off together? Would Olivia’s lame eye hold her back – or might she rise up and beat the odds? Might she have other talents on which she could focus and excel? If free, would curiosity swell (within her) and creativity soar setting her on a new path? I wonder, and so does KyRose as she lie on the grass looking up at the open sky.