Flying In Formation

A decade ago, I was in South West France looking after a friend’s beloved dog and home, when they returned to the UK for a visit. It was a rural location, and I relished the peace. Belle and I settled into a routine of early morning walks when the mist floated over the fields and evening walks when the 40-odd degree heat had started to ebb from the day. During the morning, I worked on my laptop, as Belle snoozed by my side and in the afternoon, we either napped through the heat or sat outside to catch a welcome breeze.

One afternoon, I sat outside in the shade with Belle on my lap, as we became aware of an unusual noise. It gathered in volume, and we looked up to see hundreds of birds flying over. We watched as they flew in a V formation, with birds from behind coming forward, so the lead birds could drop back, and smaller birds were nestled in the middle.

I had never seen anything like it. Belle sat still on my lap as we watched in awe as the noise continued long after they had disappeared over the horizon.

It was a magical sight.

My friend’s sister lives in France, and I asked her what birds they were, and she shared that they are cranes migrating South for the winter. So, I wrote about it, and my writer friends replied. A doctor in Sweden said he rode the train past the cranes’ breeding grounds on the way to the hospital every day. A friend living in Spain said how the cranes fly over their home every year on their way to North Africa. Our connections hummed as we shared.

This memory came to mind this week as Tim’s situation took us down a turn in the road, and I needed to call on the kind souls who man the phones in and out of hours. As Tim and I leaned into our support network, we were met with kindness and reassurance. A nurse I spoke to made a point of coming to meet us when we were in the hospital for treatment later this week. She is wonderful and a source of knowledge that we were unaware of. Her kindness really helped, and Tim’s consultant and her team came to see us, too. Their suggestions and the practical things they put in place have made the rest of this week easier to manage.

💕