Waiting

The wait was worth it.

She walked along the water’s edge, deliberately, stealth bird in search of food swimming at her feet. When some flash of motion revealed a meal, her long neck shot forward, the length of my arm, spearing the prey, leaving the water motionless.

But I kept saying to her: Fly. Spread those huge wings and throw yourself into the air. Turn awkward into graceful. I waited. And waited. Camera poised, finger on the trigger…until. Finally, tired of my mental pleading, she fluttered her wings and graced the world with beautiful flight.

As hard as it is, sometimes you just have to wait. Not everything works on my schedule. I try to remind myself that, in a moment like this one, I can wait frustrated or fascinated. The goal is not just to take a picture, but to see what is on the other end of the long lens. To discover.

And so she flew. In fact, we both did.