A Moment in the Wind

I took my husband for a walk through the yard at twilight. The heat of the day had subsided to a soft 68 degrees and the clouds were touched with pink highlights by the sun that had disappeared beyond the horizon about a half hour earlier. Nine o'clock and it was still light enough to meander through the garden and show him the five foot delphinium stocks beginning to blossom and the abundance of cherries ripening on the trees. The evening was still, heading towards sleep with only the lone Swainson's thrush's call left to echo through the trees. We stepped around to the front of the house, holding hands and talking softly about the coming weekend. As we stood there in the deepening night, a new sound entered our awareness. It was loud enough to make us pause and turn west towards the street that leads to our house. At first I thought it might be a car or truck coming down the road. The alder trees have grown so thick that we can't see along the small road that leads to our house anymore. We waited for a moment but there were no telltale lights or sounds of shifting gears. This was a sound that was steady and growing. Standing there in the stillness it took us a long moment to realize that what we were hearing was actually a sound of nature. Across the field from our house the trees began to bend and sway in a wind that had yet to touch us. The sound was reminiscent of cascading water, a constant roar that we were watching and yet not feeling.

There was such a sense of awe and surprise as we waited for the wind to reach out to us. It was a moment out of time – a pause of delightful expectation. We laughed with appreciation and held each other close.

What might have been forever and was probably less than a minute passed and I felt the first breath of wind against my face. Within seconds we were surrounded by sound and movement, squinting against the dust and debris that swirled around us. The wind came up fast and fierce; it seemed to come from every direction. We savored the warmth of its touch for only a few moments before turning back to the house. I checked my weather station and saw that the winds were gusting around fifteen mph. I can still hear the wind moving through the trees – the wind chimes clanking wildly along the back porch. However, what I am holding on to is that moment of shared wonder that I had with my husband. I will remember that for a long time.

P.S – If you have not heard the Swainson's thrushes call in the still of the evening – then you have missed out on one of nature's most perfect moments.