Alive!

In the streaming golden sunshine, watching the Mallards and the Wigeons on the bright water, the Red-tailed Hawk keeping a sharp eye -- and all under a clear blue canopy of sky -- I found myself reveling in just being alive, and knowing it! And that, not surprisingly, brought some words of G.K. Chesterton to mind:

"And the strongest emotion was that life was as precious as it was puzzling. It was an ecstasy because it was an adventure; it was an adventure because it was an opportunity. The goodness of the fairy tale was not affected by the fact that there might be more dragons than princesses; it was good to be in a fairy tale. ... We thank people for birthday presents of cigars and slippers. Can I thank no one for the birthday present of birth?"