Not what I expected to see on my walk this morning, traversing almost five miles in less than two hours. An armadillo, on the trail, watching and sniffing the air, waiting for me to pass by. An armadillo! Squirrels? I expect to see these little tree rats scurrying about, gathering nuts and whatnot. But a nine-banded armadillo? Staring at me? Not even!

The armadillo surprised me, but not the squirrels. On the other hand, seeing not one but TWO stark white egrets in the creek running by the trail? That was quite a surprise. And even though the squirrels were expected, in the sense that you naturally would see that, what I DID NOT expect was the sheer number of tree rats. I counted seventeen in my short walk, less than a quarter-mile. Seventeen? Holy cow. (No. I didn’t see any cows, but I heard a rooster.)

The sun cresting overhead struggled to push back the grayish clouds filled with water droplets, looking for an opportunity to send millions of raindrops over plants, animals, and, yes, human beings intelligent enough to carry an umbrella. Thankfully, those raindrops would wait until I made it home, allowing me to capture a beautiful rainbow, displaying every visible color.

As I marveled at the rainbow, reflecting on the sights of the walk I thought how amazing that I would be created for a moment such as this, being able to see and experience the goodness of the world. Even if it only lasted for less than two hours.

What is your outdoor experiences like?

Let me know in the comments!