kindness
— warmth given freely, leaving the heart gentler than it found it.
yesterday i found a small bird shivering beneath the ferns, its feathers silvered with dew.
i brought a saucer of crumbs and gathered a few dry leaves around it, hoping to make the place look welcoming and safe. then i sat beneath the old pine, pretending not to watch.
it flew away just before noon.
the rest of the day was very still. i baked a small loaf of bread and swept the pine needles from the doorstep. while the bread cooled, i wondered where the little bird had gone, and whether it had found somewhere warm to sleep tonight.
when evening came, i went outside to collect the empty saucer. beside it lay one tiny white and brown feather. i tucked it carefully between the pages of my diary.
recently, i have been finding pretty wildflowers beside the path to my house, one at a time. yesterday, i found a daisy. today, a tiny bellflower.
i like to think that the forest remembers what we leave behind, leaving little presents in return.