Once Again

  When one has a troubled mind, it is best to find the one place in this old world that makes you feel good.  For me, that place is the pier.  There, I can look out over the water and forget the worries of the world.  There is nothing so great that a bit of "Bayou Magic" cannot cure.   Lately, it seems as if the days were starting to clutter the brain with a bunch of riffraff "nothingisms".  I needed respite.  The water beckoned and I answered.  

  While I was watching the pelicans dive in the inches-deep water, a slight movement on the shoreline caught my eye.  A raccoon piddled in the shallows hoping to find breakfast.  At first, I assumed that this was a youngster just out from under his mom's care because, as raccoons go, this was a small one.  As I stared at the critter, it occurred to me that it was moving awfully slow.  Something was amiss.  As the coon neared, it became apparent that this was no teenager...this coon was an elder.  In fact, the critter was quite old and was having problems finding breakfast.  

 Slowly, slowly, the coon neared the pier.  I was in hopes that it would make the turn parallel to the pier and go up on the mudflats.  Earlier, I had noticed that a dozen or so fat killifish were trapped in a small pool of water.  The coon could have feasted there.  Instead, the old guy kept going along the shoreline until he was far out of sight.  I sure hope he found something to fill his belly as it is to be a rather cold night and there is nothing worse than being cold and hungry.  

  Watching the raccoon struggle just to find its breakfast made me realize that my troubles were minuscule.  I could handle the day.  The Bayou had once again worked its magic on me.  Life is good.