On Eagle’s Wings

A true story of nature’s healing power

Photo by Robert Sachowski on Unsplash

As a young person, I was crushed over a bad breakup with my then-lover. I naturally gravitated to nature’s embrace for healing.

At the time, I was living on the Olympic Peninsula, which has miles of coastline. Bounded by the Puget Sound with thousands of little inlets and bays, it boasts a bounty of natural beauty. The landscape — forested hillsides, frothing streams, and wildlife still in evidence — was magnetic in its attraction.

I packed a few things — sleeping bag, water, matches, a map, paper and pen— and one Nestle chocolate candy bar. I intended to fast, meditate, journal, and let nature soothe my soul. As I hiked down a logging road, I took in the lushness of my surroundings.

Multitudinous shades of green proliferated — Douglas fir, hemlock, alder, and cedar trees dominated, with a dense underbrush of salal, huckleberry, Oregon grape, and ferns filling in the understory. The air smelled of soil, decaying leaves, and the occasional pungent odor of a plant or the musk of an animal hidden in the camouflage of its native habitat.

Without warning, I was set upon by an eagle. It swooped down, talons spread. I only became aware of it at the last second, from the whoosh of the wings in the air, whereupon, I instinctively flattened myself onto the…