Like many others, I pay attention to the news headlines. I know the frightening possibilities of global war posed by expansionist policies. Preemptive strikes on Iran have followed Israel’s relentless attacks and seizure of property in Gaza. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has demonstrated his inability to observe standard security procedures, has acknowledged “contingency” plans to take Greenland by force and other plans for the invasion of Panama.

I have read articles about the tragedy of the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 that crashed on takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people, with a single survivor, and sending dozens of medical students to the hospital when it came down in a residential neighborhood.

I have been paying attention to the illegal and unnecessary deployment of the National Guard and Marines to respond to a small eruption of violence during protests in Los Angeles. I can see how the administration is trying to use the events to distract attention from its attempts to increase costs and decrease services to 99% of Americans to partially fund a tax cut for the wealthiest 1% while increasing the national debt beyond reason.

I have watched the administration’s abandonment of its promise to depart violent criminals, raiding schools, service centers, parking lots, farms, and food processing plants, detaining and deporting people with no criminal records, dividing children from parents, and couples from each other. I have witnessed the irrational attempts at mass deportations without due process.

I have read the Declaration of Independence’s list of grievances against the King and recognize those grievances in the behavior of the current US president.

I buy groceries and have seen empty shelves caused by supply chain issues. I purchase fuel for my vehicles and pay attention to the cost, and know that yesterday’s attack on Iran will drive up the world price of oil.

However, there are other realities in this world. I choose to pay attention to them as well.

The blue herons in the rookery near our home do not base their behavior on the short attention span of the news cycle. They are busy feeding chicks and preparing them to fledge. They must catch as many fish as possible to maintain the protein necessary for a generation's successful passing. The herons use the long daylight hours here in the north to catch mackerel and other small fish in the tidal zones. When the tide is out, we watch dozens of the large birds stand in the shallow surf seeking the tiny fish in the shallow water. As the tide comes in, the birds move closer to the beach, choosing places with just the right water depth for fishing success. When the tide is entirely in, they move into the tidal regions of the creeks that run into the sea.

By watching the behavior of the herons, I have learned that they fly at different altitudes depending on the sea state. When the tide is in and the sea is calm, they fly higher in the sky. They will land and perch on bridge railings and tree branches that stretch over the water. When the tide is out, they fly close to the water's surface, ready to splash down suddenly.

I don’t know if the eagles imitate the heron’s behavior or vice versa, but when the herons fly high, the eagles are perched in the tree tops. When the herons are standing in the shallow water in the tidal flats, the eagles will land on the sand bars to eat their catch.

I have lived a thousand miles from the shore of the sea most of my life. I am a newcomer to this coastal place and am not an expert in the behavior of birds or fish. Although I intend to learn how to harvest food from the sea, I have yet to gain the skills of clam digging, crab trapping, and oyster catching that locals possess. So far, I do my fishing at a local market on the Lummi Reservation, where indigenous fishers use sustainable practices passed down since time immemorial and exercise hard-won treaty rights to earn their living.

I have been honing my observation skills in my retirement years. I have tried to pay attention to the birds. I have watched the seagulls flying their clams to drop them on hard pavement to access the tasty contents. I have listened to them squabble as one seeks to take advantage of the bounty discovered by another. I watch the oystercatchers working the sand flats when the tide is out and the cormorants diving in the harbor.

While humans have an immense impact on our planet, as demonstrated by global warming, drought patterns, major storms of increasing intensity, habitat destruction, and loss of diversity, other creatures continue to adapt and illustrate the resiliency of creation. When dams are breached and habitat is restored, the salmon quickly return to spawn, and the ocean mammals rapidly learn to follow. Despite air and water pollution and the encroachment of coastal development, the fish and birds continue to raise young and populate their places in the ecosystem.

We live in a world of incredible complexity and chaos caused by human greed and overconsumption. We are facing government and sustainability crises resulting from our own choices and the choices of others. Human overpopulation threatens our capacity to survive as a species. The news cycle darts from crisis to crisis without a discernible pattern. Meanwhile, the herons raise their chicks, flying from the sea to the trees and back again. The eagles hatch high in the trees and learn to fish and hunt from their parents in a cycle that has been going on since before humans came to this place. Indigenous fishers go to sea as their grandfathers have since time immemorial. Life has amazing resiliency and adaptability.

As an added bonus, the herons are teaching me the power of patience. There are moments when entering the fray and witnessing to the truth in the face of injustice are important. There are other moments when quiet patience and persistent prayer provide paths to peace. I will continue to pay attention to other humans. I will continue to love, care, and act. But I will also spend time watching the herons. I still have much to learn from them.