White Feather

Not all those who Wander are Lost

J.R.R. Tolkien

Being dyslexic and prone to muddling the sounds of words and their meanings, when I first heard this quote I thought it was to wonder. That word means to ask yourself lots of questions which I am also naturally gifted at doing. The word to wander is to walk slowly around without any clear purpose and this can be indeed an enjoyable mental pastime as well as a physical one. It was during one of these moments of contemplation a few months ago (while washing up a usual trigger for my mind to wander!!) - that I looked out of the kitchen window and saw this white feather.

Its stark whiteness was stunning against the evergreen pine, I had to take a picture of the simplicity of it hanging seemingly suspended in mid air. I thought there was no way it would last for long in all the winter storms we have in this part of the world. Then something strange started to occur, every morning I would be going about my daily chores at the sink and there it still was, regardless of the bad weather nature threw at it. In fact this morning after a night of heavy rain and wind I again half expected it to be gone, but there it was and I just had to share my marvel of this little feather with you.

I decided to look into the meaning of white feathers and discovered that some people believe that seeing one in an unusual place suggests a message from your guardian angel or that they just want you to know they are there with you (a calling card if you will). I rather like the idea of a celestial being watching over me at the moment. Thinking there might be a meaning it the tree it is clinging to, I next looked up the meaning of a spruce pine. It appears to be the symbol for 'hope in adversity' and sometimes represents a farewell. The pine tree is also a symbol of creativity, life, longevity and immortality. On the strength of that I'm probably not much clearer as to what my white feather might mean, but looking out on it has become a feature of my daily routine and I may have to keep it when it finally falls to earth.