AFTER THE DELUGE

In the eerie after storm light of a torrential downpour last Friday, I trekked to my favorite Gatortat to see if anyone was available for a quiet conversation. I needed the calm that I can derive only from sharing space with my scuted dragon friends from an ancient bygone era when dinosaurs ruled the earth. I needed their strength, perseverance and sheer tenacity to survive in an ever-changing environment thru simple instinct with no tools other than patience and the will to live. The air was still filled with electricity and thunder rumbled ominously across the pond as a light rain sputtered on the mirrored water's surface. After drinking in a scene that could have just as easily belonged to a time long forgotten millennia ago, I headed for my final destination - the dragon king's lair.

Oddly enough, I found my friend to be in as much of a state of agitation after this deluge as I was. My agita quickly melted into a rapt fascination however as I observed him surveying his environment in a constant motion that is most unusual for my scaley companion. Normally he lies in such a state of repose I wonder if he's even still breathing until that nictitating membrane slides transversely over his otherwise unblinking marble black eye.

Heavy rains stir up detritus and debris from the sandy bottom and I watched my boy slowly sweeping the water for tasty morsels of food suspended in the tannic waters. As if to entertain me, he playfully nudged then grabbed a grass reed as if to say “How'd ya like that?”

I left my old friend with a heart full of peace and well-being so I took in the sunset over Lilliput Creek on the way home. After all, what are tried and true friends for but to lift one another up in these most uncertain of times? Although no dramatic colors filled the sky that night I momentarily reveled in the palest of pink glows to the east. Conversely, where the sun was dying in the west and the spectrum should have been the most vibrant, the sky was filled with only a few muted greys. A most unusual set up but I'll take it. I hope we all can share our own unique strengths with one another like I derive from this magnificent creature called an Alligator. My wish is that we see the beauty in the mundane and to be grateful. Seek your own passions then share them with the world. It is there you will find your own brand of happiness. And always remember in the midst of the darkest and most ominous storms with the thunder crashing and lightning flashing, things will clear after the Deluge ... All it takes is the Rain...