It was seven years ago, I realize as I thumb through all photos of France. Time travels on the wind so effortlessly. Every year passes at a quickening pace, or so it seems. But I remember driving in the South of France, searching for poppy fields with my friend, Bonnie. We met at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography a couple of years prior and jumped at this chance for a little adventure.

I remember when I first met Bonnie in class and then friending her on Facebook. She had images I longed to create of people levitating and I oohed and aahed, scrolling at her work. The next day I promptly walked up to her saying, "I checked out your Facebook page and you and I are going to be great friends!" Her blue eyes widened, smiling at me.

Bonnie has since played muse to my vision on more than one occasion. You might recognize her in my piece, Bedroom Conversations.

As I scrolled through my old photographs, I stopped on this one in particular. It was a setup for another idea that never came to fruition. Bonnie stared off into the sea of red, the afternoon light drenching the field with color and shadow and it felt so wistful and perfect. Searching for the ideal companion, I came across an egret in flight, which seemed to personify Bonnie in more ways than I could have expected.

“The great egret emanates a message of great compatibility + heaven sense. Its message is that a prosperous time is near or has arrived. You have completed the tasks to do with what was before you.”

This graceful bird also symbolizes being at peace with oneself. Being in perfect balance and a state of calmness.

Bonnie jokes that she lift her life in reverse, practically retiring in France in her twenties, perfectly fluent in the language, and then traipsing across the world before finally meeting her partner and settling down in her late 30's. I say there is no right or wrong way to walk this Earth, only our desired path, as we discover what it is we are meant to do. 

Perhaps, as the great egret states, with a little patience, time, and whispers of hope, anything is possible and available when the time is right.