I don't know what made me do it, but I slipped my right hand out of the glove and moved it toward him--slowly. The rest of the penguins moved closer. The big guy stuck his beak across the palm of my hand and twisted his head, as if to scratch himself against my skin. I felt glossy feathers against my hand. He uttered a muffled "coo." The rest of the penguins cooed. Their mucus membranes slid like liquid soap over their eves every few seconds. I stared back, wanting to say something to them, but realized I could not speak their language. However, at that moment, we shared a consciousness of living.
My frozen breath vapors hung in the air briefly before descending as crystals toward the ground. I battled to keep from bursting with excitement. Within seconds, one of the other penguins pecked my new friend on the rump. He drew back. With that, he turned and waddled away. Following the elders, the little one gave one last look at me, as if be too wanted to scratch my hand, but was afraid, and turned with his friends. As they retreated, their wings flailed away from their bodies like children trying to catch the wind in their arms. The baby Emperor was last to go.
My hand turned numb so I stuck it back into the glove. As I sat there, I remembered the day when a hummingbird landed on my finger at my feeder on the back deck of my house in the Rocky Mountains--and I remembered the sheer delicacy nature shared with me that warm spring day. There, in that frozen wasteland beyond the borders of my imagination where humanity does not belong, Mother Nature touched me again with her pulsing heart and living warmth. I only hope my species learns as much respect for our fellow travelers as they show toward us.
I stood up, tightened the hood on my coat and looked for the penguins. They were gone. Only the pack-ice rumbled toward the horizon. I turned to my bike. It's hard to believe that two rubber tires laced together with spokes and rims--and attached to a metal frame could carry me from the Amazon Jungle, to Death Valley and on to where the bolt goes into the bottom of the globe. That simple machine lying in the frozen snow had taken me to far flung places on this planet and it had allowed me magical moments beyond description. That moment with the penguins probably was the best it had ever done by me. I remounted my bike and turned toward the barracks.
The ride back didn't seem so cold.
Merry Christmas dear friends across America, Canada, Europe, Australia and the world.
Spirit of Adventure
Emerson said, "God laughs in flowers." On a bicycle journey across America, you pedal through, along and past billions of flowers of every color, shape and description. God's laughter speaks to your visual senses. If you hop off your bike, you may enjoy glorious fragrances given off by flowers. Poets say that flowers gave flight to butterflies. Both delight your life. As you grow older, giving a rose to your loved one means, "I love you." Just for a moment, on your journey, you pedal through Milford, Ohio when you ride up on a bicycle at the edge of town exploding with flowers. A plaque reads, "Bikes in Bloom." You take a shot. You remount your bike to travel down Main Street, and to your delight, you instantly fall in love with dozens of bicycles blooming with flowers in front of every storefront. You smile, you laugh, you delight in the glorious beauty of bikes blooming with all the colors of the rainbow. You mutter to yourself, "Gosh, life doesn't get any better than this." Yes, you laugh with the flowers. - 2012 Frosty Wooldridge
Bikes in Bloom in Milford, Ohio where every storefront offers an amazing bicycle blooming with flowers. This annual event attracts visitors worldwide. I am trying to make it a national event in every town in America. Contact me for details: They cover para-sailing, canoeing, skiing, rafting, backpacking, mountain climbing, winter mountaineering skiing, bicycling, rock climbing, camping, para-glicing and much more. Each card delights the eye and inspires the spirit. They can be used for "Thank you" ; "Inspiration" ; "Sympathy" ; "Invitation" ; "Friendship" and just plain, "Hello". Order today!
Frosty Wooldridge, 6 continent world bicycle traveler , author of-- How to Live a Life of Adventure:
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The Art of Exploring the World www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com
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