Quiet Dignity

 You never know when a life experience will become a humbling one.
For me, each job site offers a new adventure and no day is ever the same.
Each site offers something different, whether it's coastal,
upland, wetland or somewhere in between,
and that's what I love about being out in the environment.

(Nature Love - Thanks to Facebook.com)

The former marina area needed a seagrass survey. The site was on the edge of a fairly poor area of Miami, and I had the usual concerns about personal safety. The two men I was working with were in the water identifying the grasses, while I took notes and marked the site map with the seagrass species and locations. I thought that I had the easier job on land because it had dipped below 40 degrees that morning, and the air was chilly. I really did not want to have to go snorkeling on such a cold day if I could avoid it. I got lucky on this one.

That thought quickly escaped my mind when I saw two very large dogs, a Rottweiler and a German Shepherd, baring their teeth at the North side of the perimeter fence, and the clothes of a homeless person hanging at the South side of the property. I had to go in both directions alone, and wondered which was worse - the growling dogs, or the unknown homeless person. With a baggie of wheat thins in my hand in case I needed a distraction, I carefully walked toward the guard dogs and started taking site notes. To my relief, the dogs' owners had seen us working and took them inside.

 Moving South was going to be even more interesting. As I approached the bridge, I noticed two pairs of pants had been hanging out to dry on the far perimeter fence, along with a blanket. Underneath the bridge, up where it met the road, tucked under the bridge, was a makeshift bed - but there was no one in it. There was a garbage can with a plastic liner just outside the broken gate that led under the bridge. The area was fairly tidy for a bridge easement.

We were standing at the sea wall next to the bridge as we finished up the study. We were reviewing the map, and comparing the data, when an older man with gray hair coasted down the hill toward the water on a beach cruiser bike. He locked the bike to the fence, and unpacked his fishing gear. He settled in under the bridge, and dropped a line in the water, wiggling it every now and then. He looked over and sized us up with one glance. He nodded with approval when we told him where the fish were swimming under the bridge. This was obviously his home. Everything he cared about was on his bike, or under the bridge. He traveled light.

(Smiling Pansies. Thanks @amazing things in the world)

He didn't say much, but what he did say was a pleasant surprise of quiet dignity.
 He welcomed us into his home, looked at us and said,
"What a beautiful day. What a beautiful day to be fishing, I feel blessed."
That was it, but for me, it was enough for me to forget my own problems
and to remember what is truly important.
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is the future, and today is a gift, that's why it's called the present.
Cherish it.