Loon Prophet ?
EXPANDING OUR IDEAS
I was out in the middle of a peaceful large lake. It was as calm and serene as one can get. Simply a beautiful day where one would not expect the unexpected.
I hadn't yet learned these are perfect days for the unexpected because we have little planned and can give the experience our full attention. Well today was one of those perfect days that pushes our envelope of understanding of the world.
I was in a giant two person kayak. This kayak was more like an overweight plastic canoe. It was quite heavy. One that took a lot of paddling to get moving and kept going once you got it moving. It wasn't bad for two people but with just one person I had to put rocks in the front to keep the bow in the water. So a lot more work on my part but it got me out on the water and enjoying the day. It was surely an old and worn boat, and well appreciated over the many years of adventures I've had with it.
I paddled enjoying the calm and the beauty. I always hoped to see maybe a Loon or two on the lake. They were one of my favorite birds and made my day to see them. Soon I saw an older male Loon. He stayed a comfortable far distance as they always do. They don't get too close to people. But what happened next pushed my ideas of the world in several ways.
He suddenly looked my way, turned, and started coming towards me. He was staring right at me as he quickly came the distance across the lake. He had a purpose it seemed. Soon he was right beside the boat maybe three feet away looking right at me. He tilted his head slightly as he looked at me in that universal inquisitive look that everyone understands.
Clearly he had a message or something to say. I asked, "Do you want something? What is it?" He stared with great purpose. As if to say "Hey Mister. Mister! You need to know something!" He wasn't budging. He was right beside me like there was an urgency.
I got calm to see if I could hear a message as my Cherokee elder often said to do. I got nothing. I opened my eyes and there he was just staring, trying to beam something into my thick head. I had no idea what he was trying to convey. But there was purpose for sure! Loons just don't get close like this and he clearly had intent.
Then my concentration was broken as I suddenly noticed water at my feet. Interesting ... Wait! There shouldn't be water on my feet. Then more water. Oh No! I turned around and water was pouring in the rear of the kayak. The old boat suddenly blew a hole and water was gushing in. I turned back to the loon and he nodded then turned and went happily about his day. Message delivered.
I spun the kayak around and started the hard paddle for shore hoping I would get there before it went under. It was far away and the boat was getting heavier and heavier with the added water. Dragging this heavy boat swimming would not be much fun. And it was midsummer in Maine so the water was still pretty chilly. I paddled as hard as I could and finally reached the shore as it began to sway and lunge. It was almost unmovable at that point. I plopped on the shore out of breath. The boat went down sunk on the bottom several feet from shore. Clearly it's last moment.
I was glad I arrived.
As I sat there catching my breath I surveyed the whole experience. My mind calmed and I could think again from the singular thought and goal of paddling as hard as I could.
What an unexpected moment. It was an old kayak for sure. And dragging this heavy thing around on boat docks easily could have worn the keel thin. Things happen. That wouldn't be a surprise. So I had that part thought through in my mind. Now on to the next giant question. The bigger elephant in the room as we often say. The Loon? The Loon was clearly trying to convey a message. It had to be saying "Hey Mister. Mister! Do you know your boat is about to sink?"
I sat thinking the whole interaction over. I know animals are smart and try to convey messages. We've all seen our dogs trying to beam some idea into our head. Often it is "Hey, it's dinner time isn't it?" They look at us like you guys really are dense to not be able to hear us. And we all know our dogs can sense someone coming up the driveway. And are a good judge of character as well. Although we really don't know how they do it. We accept it's just how dogs are. Dogs have an extra sense, a good gut feel, woman's intuition we could say.
But back to the Loon.
No Loon had ever approached the boat before. They stay a comfortable distance away and move away or dive below the water if anyone gets closer. That's what they do. This guy had focus and intent. It turned suddenly and came directly to the boat. It clearly had purpose. It came right to me in the boat staring. Doing the inquisitive head tip. Like are you able to get this?
The only obvious answer was it was trying to warn me. It really was saying... "Hey Mister. Mister! Do you know your boat is going to sink?" And as soon as I realized what was going on, he was content and turned to move away. Message Delivered.
I sat there replaying the adventure many times over in my head. Yes, it was a perfect day for pushing the envelope of our understanding. A wonderful journey. A fine example of animals, and in this case a Loon, trying to communicate and warn.
But the looming question that still lingers ...
How did it know it was going to happen?