You never see crows and ravens waiting for anything. They’re actively looking for and noting opportunities in life. That’s how they’ve survived for more centuries than we care to remember.
A particular crow has been a source of amusement and wonder during my time in Sechelt. More precisely during my habit of spending time at Davis Bay. Every time my car appeared, the crow would fly in and take up his station on this same wooden stake. |
"Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them." Madam C.J. Walker
That’s the way opportunities are. You can’t just sit back and wait for them. They require some activity from you. My crow, over a period of time, galvanized me into realizing moving would possibly help me achieve some needed results in my life.
I really didn’t relish the idea of leaving friends and a comfortable but very predictable lifestyle on the coast. We had everything anyone could ever want, didn’t we? There was something niggling constantly at me though. That pesky crow seemed to look at me with bright-eyed interest. He seemed to say, “Where is your family, huh?” Crows are very family oriented. They will stay with their family forever, and learn from them. When they become adults they pass their knowledge onto the next generation. They teach them to make tools for getting food, clean up carrion, and have funerals for their own dead before they eat the corpses. Some of their habits are actually quite cruel and distasteful to us, supposedly the more “civilized” human beings. But their learned life lesson is to always be opportunistic. It’s the way they survive and thrive. |
Image via T.Lloyd for Vicki W
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On decision day I woke early and went to spend a week with my close mainland family. I knew of course I could never find an equal to my much-loved coastal living. But I also felt it would be a way of knowing I would have to compromise and settle down to whatever life would be in Sechelt as we both aged. I had booked a realtor who would show me all available condos in Chilliwack, where the rest of my family lives.
On the third viewing ( just like a crow checks things out) we came across this wonderful condo. The views are amazing, Trees, shrubs, and flowers all attended by professional gardeners. A river runs through. Geese, ducks, herons and other birds can be spotted any time from our balcony. From the living room mountains and trees are seemingly close.
These old condos, built forty years ago, are beautiful. Just two stories, brick and concrete, large rooms, and they are situated on 12 acres of incredibly landscaped land. No high buildings. They were built originally for the elite of society. Most folks have lived there for many years, so it’s not often one comes up for sale. This one was perfect. No stairs, a corner condo.
Loving a loose schedule!
There is a small shopping centre just a few minutes' drive away. It has just about all the services we need. We are separated from a very busy highway by a substantial fence and huge trees. It’s quite something to see that it is also frequently used by the wildlife, who regard the highway as theirs, and show no hesitation in crossing it to come to the little creek on our side! On seeing them all cars come to a complete halt and wait until the lanes clear again.
Thank goodness for texting, emailing and videos! And, I’m delighted to report that my family members never miss an opportunity to have a fun time together.