It was 6 p. m. on a gray and gloomy Sunday in the middle of autumn. The sky was filled with golden and orange hues, but the cool and slightly sharp autumn air surrounded me as I thought about the chaos of my week. Seven days had passed since I graduated from university, and the future seemed like a blurry, uncertain fog. I had no job, no clear plan, and no idea of what to do with my life at that moment.
The stress of job hunting, a bad interview, and the constant feeling of uncertainty about what was coming next had left me exhausted, especially mentally. My mental health, if I could even call it that, didn’t feel good at all. A thought crossed my mind:
"I definitely can't keep living in this state of anxiety."
I needed to get out, breathe, and disconnect. I thought about going for a run, like I used to do when I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. But not just anywhere, there was a special place, one that always gave me a sense of peace and calm: my father’s land.
My father owns a large piece of land, far from the noise of the village, where he has created a small sanctuary in the middle of nature. There are ponds surrounded by trees, bushes that look like something from an old garden, and an old fence that divides the areas, creating a peaceful atmosphere away from everyday life. It’s a place that has always comforted me, so I decided to go there to find some peace.
When I arrived, I felt my breath slow down, as if the fresh country air were a remedy for my tired mind. I walked to the pond near the entrance, a spot that had always fascinated me. It was a mirror of water, reflecting the trees and plants around it. Suddenly, as I approached the water, something made me look up. My eyes met an unexpected sight that took my breath away.
A huge heron, probably about two meters tall, took flight right in front of me. Its wings stretched out with amazing grace, filling the air with a soft whisper, and in just a few seconds, it flew away, soaring between the trees.
The sunset light made its gray feathers shine with a golden glow, and the majestic bird disappeared among the branches of the autumn trees. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen. A heron that big, in the wild, flying right in front of my eyes. Until that moment, I had only seen birds of that size in zoos or photos, never this close and in the wild.
A mix of wonder and fascination filled my whole being. I thought to myself:
"It’s beautiful, it’s incredible, life is so nice."
But there was also a part of me that felt a little overwhelmed. The encounter had been so unexpected that I felt like my energy had drained away, as if the greatness of the heron had taken all my strength. Somehow, that moment made me stop completely, like my mind was forced to take a temporary break.
Later, I decided to keep walking, but slowly, lost in thoughts about the bird.
"Where did it come from?, did it live nearby?, had it lost its migratory path because it was autumn?, or was it traveling somewhere far?.."
My mind was full of questions, but also images: I imagined the heron sitting by the lake, with its shiny gray feathers, deep eyes, and elegant posture.
Suddenly, I felt very small compared to the vastness of nature, and I wondered if I could ever be as free and calm. But I also understood that maybe I would never see it again. Maybe it had already gone, or maybe it had sensed my presence and decided to fly away. I felt so grateful to have witnessed such a perfect, fleeting moment.
I kept walking along the path and soon reached another pond, a bigger one, surrounded by a small resting area. There, between the trees, was a concrete bench, and without thinking much, I sat down to enjoy the view. The sound of the water flowing gently, the distant songs of some birds, and the occasional splash of fish jumping filled me with peace. I also watched as squirrels jumped from tree to tree, collecting acorns for the winter.
Everything seemed to have a purpose, everything was in its place. But despite the calm, I felt a sense of exhaustion. It wasn’t physical tiredness, because I still had enough energy to run, but a deep mental fatigue. My mind seemed worn out from overthinking and doubting. All I wanted at that moment was to disconnect, rest, turn off my thoughts, and sleep deeply.
I decided to close my eyes for a moment, just to feel the fresh air and the tranquility of the place. As I was about to drift off to sleep, I heard something that interrupted my thoughts: a soft fluttering. I immediately opened my eyes, and to my surprise, there she was. The heron!
The same heron I had seen earlier, now flying again, with an elegance that left me speechless. Her wings moved with incredible softness, almost as if she were floating. Her flight was perfect, almost like a Concorde jet, gliding with precision and harmony.
She landed near the water, by the edge of the pond, and looked at me. Her deep, wise eyes met mine, and in that instant, I felt something I had never experienced before. It was as if time stood still. Her gaze seemed to speak to me without words, as if she were telling me that everything would be okay, that everything would turn out fine.
In her presence, I felt that anything was possible, that the obstacles that seemed insurmountable were merely illusions. A current of energy flowed through my body, and I understood that nature, in its grandeur, is always there to remind us that we are part of something much greater. In that moment, the uncertain future didn’t matter, nor did the lack of work or worries. All that mattered was that moment of deep connection with the universe.
The heron, after gazing at me for a few seconds, opened her wings once more and took flight, disappearing among the trees.
The sunset light was beginning to fade, and with it, the silhouette of the heron was lost in the vastness of the forest. I stayed there a few more minutes, enjoying the last ray of sunlight, and then began walking back home.
Though my body felt the fatigue of the walk, my mind was completely renewed. That night, I slept like never before. And as I sank into sleep, I saw the heron again, this time flying free and happy, a symbol of hope, new opportunities, and the certainty that everything in life has its purpose.
That heron, with its majestic flight, taught me something fundamental: life is unpredictable, but it is always filled with beauty, with fleeting moments that remind us how fortunate we are to be part of this world. All we need is to know how to see it, feel it, and let ourselves be carried away by its magic.
