Pelican Showers and Good Deeds

    Each morning just about daybreak, Mark and I have a habit of heading to the pier.  Most of the time, we fish but occasionally we just sit and watch the sunrise.  It is a great way to start the day.  A bit of meditation before plunging headlong into the day is good for body and soul.  Our routine has been such for so long that I doubt we change.  I am glad. 

  While on the pier, we have a front row seat for the antics of wildlife in the Bayou.  This morning, it was the brown pelicans that held court and put on the show.  We watched as they dove after mullet and menhaden.  The large birds would fly just over the water's surface then rise high only to plunge head first into a school of fish.  They were getting their fair share!  Their show also included squabbles over the most coveted pier posts.  One would land on a post only to have another come plowing in on top.  Both birds would then be toppled into flight again.  

  One thing that amused us is what we were calling pelican showers.  Occasionally, one pelican would dive into a school of fish then instead of scooping up breakfast, the bird would start splashing in the water with its wings.  Water droplets would fly everywhere!  This is a method of fishing but, instead of a solitary fishing technique, the splashing was for the benefit of all the other pelicans.  The constant splashing of the bird's large wings would totally confuse the small fish.  The fish would swim willy-nilly in a wild state of confusion.  Then all of the pelicans could feast.  Brown pelicans work for the good of the community.  It is the neighborly thing to do.

  On that note, today was a day of neighborly deeds.  The pelicans were not the only ones helping their clan!  Mark and Son spent the morning working on my cousin's hurricane ravaged pier.  Her pier seemed to have caught the brunt of the recent storm.  While they were gone, one of Son's longtime friends came to visit.  He pitched right in with helping me in the garden.  We took down the east gate that was broken by the storm and then cleared some more debris.  Once my menfolk returned home, I baked cookies for them while Mark headed to an elderly couple's home.  The older gentleman had broken his hip and was in the hospital.  The sweet lady called Mark to go discard dozens of persimmons that she had picked and would not be able to use.  Mark returned with a nice bucket of the golden fruit so another good deed was in the works.  Mark headed to the hospital to visit the couple and I made beautiful jars of persimmon jam for the sweet couple.  Now, when they get back home, the chore will already have been done and they can sit back to enjoy some jam and biscuits!  Its the neighborly thing to do.  

  I mention all of this merely because this is the way folks should be.  If everyone lent a helping hand regardless of the situation, the world would be a better place.  A simple small act can go a long way.  The pelican seemingly just playing in the water started an entire string of good deeds today.  Once the day was ending, we all felt good about ourselves and others reaped the benefits of a helping hand.  Not that any of them were looking for handouts but that help was not only offered but the deed was completed. Just one good deed a day...one kind act....one bit of help given lovingly can mean the world of difference.  So many folks are eager to "preach" but slow to act.  I have one sister-in-law who nails it down perfectly.  "If you cannot help with your hands, do not "help" with your mouth."  Makes sense to me.  Instead of giving unsolicited advice, it is far better to do something...just one small act.  Its the neighborly thing to do.