Through Other Eyes by Angela Rieck

I love to see the world through children’s eyes. I get to re-experience what I have taken for granted.  I can wonder at a magically appearing lightning bug, chase a gravity-defying butterfly, run from a scary, squirming crab. I get to point out things that I love and love them even more when I see their wonder.

But I don’t have to see it only through children’s eyes. Recently my New Jersey friends came to visit.  I had advised them of the beauty of the Eastern Shore, but they were still awestruck.

They marveled at the gentle, flat landscape punctuated by slowly crawling rivers and creeks. 

They were spellbound by the towering elegance of Loblolly pines. Their dark brown bark appears to have been applied by an artist’s palette knife. Dark green pine needles and perfectly shaped pine cones cluster on its branches that make a swishing sound when the wind gently surrounds them.

They delighted in the bluebirds that reside near a barn on the nature trail.  The bluebirds (not readily visible in their neighborhood) dazzled them with their deep blue feathers.   

But what they loved most was the water, its ubiquitous presence. The slow, wide, barely moving rivers allowed them to relax and experience the peaceful and quiet rhythm of the Eastern Shore. 

It always comes back to the water, the statutory creeks and rivers.  The glorious multi-hued sunsets mirrored on their glassy surfaces. There is no rushing water, no hills to climb, just a soft peaceful landscape. 

It’s nice to see it again for the first time.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

Don’t miss the latest! You can subscribe to The Talbot Spy‘s free Daily Intelligence Report here.