The day started like any other, up at 6am and straight to the computer and work. 7am arrives finally, the caf is open. I dress my daughter quickly and head off for my coffee. Today was a bit different to most though, as I pulled up sharply once I got to the front gate. There, a mere two feet from us was a magnificent Australian kookaburra.

I admired its courage, we were so close and it had not flown away. These are not tame birds, they typically shy clear from humans. The memory of this encounter will stick for a long time, it is so rare. I alerted my wife to the visit too, so she could come outside slowly and meet our friend and there the four of us stood, enjoying each others company for nearly five minutes.

When I finished my coffee, I reflected on the experience. I wondered at my own actions, blundering my way to the gate without even realizing the king of the kingfishers was sitting there watching me. Was I really so busy that morning that I could not see what was right in front of me? Did I really need to get so close that I almost tripped up on the bird before I knew he was there?

If I had taken one more step I am sure the kookaburra would have flown away. My whole family would have missed this wonderful start to the day. It would have been a terrible loss, seeing these types of bird so close is such a rare experience. It turned out to be a bit of a wake-up call to me. I really need to slow down a bit and pay more attention. Why is it we get so caught up in what we are running towards, that we forget to enjoy that which is in front of us?

My house is close to a river near the bush, so we are blessed with the songs of the kookaburra quite often. This was the first time one of these birds communicated with me so personally though. I will remember this meeting too every time I hear a kookaburra sing, hearing the message in the song. “Take a deep breath Damian” it will sing. “Savor what now has to offer, don’t forget the present in your rush to tomorrow”. This is a message that so many of us can benefit from.