From the mountains of North Carolina to the beaches of South Carolina our journey continued. We, along with Sherry's brother and sister-in-law, arrived at the Island Links Resort on Hilton Head Island after a day's drive and settled into our three bedroom condo. The unit was spacious and clean, and the grounds were manicured and inviting. The pool was chilly, but the hot tub was perfect. They even provided us dinner (Barbecue) on Mondays and breakfast (donuts) on Thursdays!
We took a day to drive around the island and saw dolphins and gators. We visited the lighthouse and drove past the golf course where the P.G.A. will host an event in April. We walked the sandy beaches and hassled with the horrific traffic.We, also, took a day trip into Savannah, Ga. where we took the
Trolley Tour around the historic city and had lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room (recommend).
Most of our time was spent just living the dream, enjoying each other, and experiencing the turning of winter into spring. After our three weeks there, there were flowers where there were no flowers before.
And now it's on to Sevierville, Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains for a week.
REFLECTION
As I watched the gator swim along the shore line of the pond behind our condo, I could see a glob of white feathers and two long legs dangling from its massive jaws. Death and dinner had become intertwined in the mouth of the beast. I watched until the diner and his lunch disappeared into the high grass that lined the bank.
What a graphic reminder that in the animal world there is a fine line between living and dying. Most likely that mass of feathers, hanging from the gator's gaping jaws, had been recently focused on getting its own dinner; intently watching the small fish swim in the shallow water at the mouth of the pond. Standing perfectly still and distracted, the hunter became the hunted. The gator and the fish live....the bird dies.
It would seem that life and death are like that in our pond, too. Sometimes we become so involved, focused on sustaining our own life, that we fail to see the dangers stealthly inching closer and closer. We neglect to always remain alert to our surroundings. We become so absorbed in "taking care of business" that we fail to see the danger inching our way. We become transfixed and stand in danger of falling prey to those who would abuse or misuse us.
We (the bird) must not become so wrapped up in doing what we typically do that we fail to pay attention to the encroachment of the dangers around us. We must always be alert and react accordingly. Nothing wrong with "turning tail and flying away."
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE GATORS.
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