One of the things that falconers learn to accept is that the animals we love the most are not ours to keep. Some we choose to have in our lives for a short period, lending them a helping hand and sending them on their way. Whether they are foster dogs on their way to a new beginning or injured raptors being prepped for release back into the wild, they still touch our lives in deep ways.
Of course, the truly difficult moments are those when the animals we love dearly pass away. Falconry is full of life and death moments, some that truly break your heart in the end. The realization that we should cherish moments as they come is perhaps one of the most important lessons falconry (and life) has to offer. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as the season approaches and I’m out and about reading from Lift and explaining what I tried to accomplish in the book. Although Anakin is the “hero” and the metaphor of the story, other falconry birds and animals I’ve worked with have cameos that color the story.
A friend dug up this old recording of a song I wrote and performed in High School (yeah, I had brief aspirations of being a rockstar…can you imagine, a solitary soul such as myself on stage every night? Blah!) and I found myself thinking about the blessings and sadness of a life’s goodbyes. The song and the montage complement the memoir. Enjoy.
And read more about Lift here.
Very touching….
It’s a good time to remember those we’ve lost.
Thank you.
T.