Solo Hiking at 70

Everyone is Beautiful in the Right Light

Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Shine!”

Our souls came here to shine.

For a long time, I hesitated to photograph the White-Faced Ibises here in Idaho. I was afraid of them as a child after an adult told me one would carry me off if I played by the river past dark.

I could see the ancient theropods in them, the dinosaurs who shaped-shifted over the aeons into birds. I wasn’t confident the Ibises had fully evolved, so I kept my distance.

When they swooped into a marsh to feed, they came in large numbers, stretching out long, featherless legs to touch down in shallow water. Their partially webbed feet looked capable of plucking a sweet gosling off the pond. The only color I could see on their dark bodies were the white rings around their glowing red eyes. And their 30-inch silver beaks reminded me of cavalry sabers.

On the hottest nights, they gave me chills.

Late one summer evening, everything shifted in my relationship with Ibises. I was hiking in a nearby wetland when I spotted one feeding about 20 feet from me. The low angle of the setting sun revealed a kaleidoscope of colors layered in the Ibis’s feathers. Before that moment, I had no idea Ibises had unfolded from a distant time into little rainbows.

I later learned Ibises symbolize the human soul and the purity of gliding between the worlds.

When we seek the light shining in others, our own burns a little brighter.

Thanks for walking with me, Kris

Thank you Mary Chang Story Writer for the writing prompt.

Originally published at https://www.kristeencochran.com on July 21, 2022.