The Snowy Egret

Be where you are

I work in a beautiful place in Marin County, where the San Francisco Bay greets me through my office window. I am surrounded by water. Each day the tide returns and recedes, as reliable as breath. This gorgeous bay is home to many birds. Over time, I’ve come to know the herons, egrets, sandpipers, pelicans, and cormorants. I watch them quietly and with deep appreciation.

The snowy egret and I share the same shoreline a few times a week. Every time I see her, something in me softens and shifts. The egret reminds me about the power of patience, stillness, intuition, and discernment. She teaches without effort. She waits for her meal without anxiety. She trusts the tide will deliver what is meant for her. I watch her stand ankle-deep in the water. Always firm and composed. She knows not everything requires chasing. Some things arrive only when we are peaceful enough to receive them.

Though egrets hunt alone, they are not lonely. They are sovereign. Their independence reveals that solitude can be empowering. A return to our own wisdom rather than a retreat from the world. Standing between land and sea, the known and the unknown, the egret embodies the art of transition.

As we enter 2026, I’m reminded that the dreams I’ve cast will be realized when the right tide carries them in. Hustling, forcing, or worrying does nothing to hasten their arrival. The beauty is this: I am planted exactly where I am meant to be. Striving is an old habit. Presence is the new one.