An ethereal greeting from my uncle

I'm not one for taking walks or going hiking. I think it's because I was part of the cross-country club during my high school days and we used to tire ourselves out, experiencing extreme weather conditions such as strong rain or hot and humid periods while doing our laps on uneven terrain.

The thought of excessive tiredness no longer appeals to me. Feeling sweaty and sticky, dehydrated and faint. I guess it was different then as the reason I had joined the club was to be part of something, to identify with a sport, to visit new places, and to make new friends.

However, the peace that one can feel when enveloped by the green canopy of trees and shrubs does feel enticing.

I recall walking through the forest of our high school located in a town way up in the mountains, 5000 feet above sea level, airy, breezy and fresh. There was a lot of vegetation, ferns and trees. There were plenty of birds, insects, and bugs.

One of the birds I enjoyed looking at was the barn owl. It’s a nocturnal animal but on rare occasions, these birds sometimes show up during late afternoons, trying to source some food. It sometimes can be found clashing with Magpies or black-headed gulls. It’s a beautiful bird. Medium sized, pale coloured, around 15 inches in length with a wingspan of around 37 inches. It has such a unique face: pale white, heart-shaped and with really dark round eyes. You can draw it quite easily. Trace a heart. Inside that heart, draw two dark circles, separated by a long nose which ends with a tiny beak that looks like one of the nails from a claw of a large cat. Can you picture it? Imagine a mask that can be worn at a Halloween party.

Anyway, on one of those rare afternoons, I noticed the barn owl looking at me…looking into my soul. It made me feel uncomfortable. I guess the timing of it was odd and creepy at the same time because my uncle had just passed away. My uncle was into Buddhism and reincarnation. He was heavily into meditation. And, listen to this, he loved owls. Barn owls.

It made me think, could this be my uncle trying to communicate with me. Trying to say goodbye? Trying to let me know that animals can be the vessel for reaching out to relatives from the other side of the ethereal plane?

I shrugged off the thought of course. But then, while I continued walking towards the end point of the forest and into civilization, I sensed something beside me, among the branches of a large tree.

I kept walking…slowly…calmly…but with heightened awareness. I’ve never experienced being in the midst of a barn owl this close. It hooted. It shook its wings. It picked up a flower, and dropped it a few meters before me, along the man-made path.

I kept walking and it zoomed a few meters ahead until it found solace in a large branch on a tree that had a large hole in it. I looked closely and saw a few little heads pop up…also heart-shaped.

Looking straight at me, it flapped its wings, blinked a few times, and opened its beak, as if it was about to hoot.

It was then that I realised, hang on, am I dreaming? It’s almost impossible to have this type of experience. To be accompanied by a bird, on a rare occasion, in an even rarer situation, where it revealed where its nest was.

I pinched myself. Awed at this experience. I remembered my uncle. It made me feel appreciative of this opportunity to be greeted by him, through this unique and beautiful bird.

I never saw this bird again. The timing of it was amazing. Thank you, Uncle. This was a real hoot!