There's a particular kind of light Southern Alberta gets in late September — low, golden, and honest — and it won't stick around much longer. Before the cold settles in for good, take an afternoon and get outside. Walk the coulees, sit by the river, watch what the wind is doing to the grass.
And while you're out there, give a little respect to everything sharing that space with you — the ones that are easy to love, and the ones that take more effort. A magpie scolding you from a fence post deserves the same courtesy as a deer at the tree line. So does a garter snake sunning itself on a rock, or a spider spinning across a trail you almost walked through. None of them are here by accident, and none of them are lesser for lacking fur or footsteps.
Get outside while the getting's good. And when you do, tread a little lighter than you have to.
Easter Kingbird, Photo by Robert Messenger
