Paradise, Texas

Transcription

(music) >> IT'S MORNINGS LIKE THIS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL HAPPY TO BE ALIVE. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE PLACE IN WHICH WE LIVE AND I THINK THAT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF EXPERIENCING SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS, KIND OF REESTABLISHES A CERTAIN VIGOR FOR LIFE AND YOU FIND YOURSELF RESTORED AND RENEWED. (music) IT'S EASY TO WAX POETIC ON A MORNING LIKE THIS, TENDING TO SEE THIS AS A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. THIS PRIMORDIAL MIST THAT'S LIFTING OFF THIS LAKE IS KIND OF NEAT. WE'RE ALL BORN OF IT. IT'S REAL NARROW ALONG THIS CORNER. WE'LL JUST WORK OUR WAY AROUND DOWN TO THE BOARDWALK. LOOKS LIKE THIS IS GOING TO BE WATER ALL THE WAY THROUGH. >> HEY! HAWK! HAWK! >> WHAT A DISPLAY. THE COLORS ARE SO SUBTLE, THEY'RE INTENSE. I CAN LOOK BACK IN THE COURSE OF MY BIRDING CAREER AND I CAN FIND JUST MYRIAD MOMENTS THAT ARE JUST INDELIBLY IMPRINTED ON MY MEMORY. LITTLE ISOLATED POCKETS THAT I WOULD PROBABLY NEVER HAVE VISITED IN MY LIFE IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE FACT THAT I WAS CHASING BIRDS. (church bells ringing) THIS IS THE KINGDOM. WE ARE THE KINGDOM. WE ARE THE CHURCH. THIS WORLD THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN INTO OUR HANDS NEEDS TO BE CARED FOR. AND YOU AND I WILL DO THIS. IN OUR OWN SMALL WAY WE WILL CHANGE THE FACE OF OUR EARTH. LET'S ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE. LET'S BE ABOUT GOD'S BUSINESS, AND LET'S FIND THAT LOVE AND THAT PEACE AND THAT INNER ACCORD THAT GOD HAS ASKED US TO TRULY FIND. LET US BE THE KINGS AND THE QUEENS OF OUR CHURCH. (music) ♪ MAYBE SOMETIMES IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE IT'S A DISTRACTION, TO BE TALKING WITH PEOPLE AND I'M LISTENING TO THINGS ALL AROUND ME. BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN, IN DEALING WITH PEOPLE, I'M PICKING UP THOSE NUANCES THAT MIGHT BE LOST WITH OTHERS BECAUSE MY AWARENESS HAS BEEN HEIGHTENED. YOU LOOK FOR THOSE DETAILS WHEN BIRDING, THAT SMALL LITTLE MARK MIGHT BE THE DIFFERENCE IN IDENTIFYING A BIRD OR NOT. WHEN DEALING WITH PEOPLE, YOU'RE WATCHING FOR THOSE SMALL THINGS WHICH TELL YOU MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR LIFE. THAT'S BEEN A BIG HELP TOO. IT'S ALSO DEEPENED MY APPRECIATION FOR THE WORLD IN WHICH I LIVE. I'VE SEEN ITS DIVERSITY. I'VE SEEN ITS POWER. I'VE SEEN ITS SPLENDOR. I'VE SEEN ITS CRUELTY AT TIMES TOO. IT'S HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A PART OF THE WORLD IN WHICH I AM A PART MYSELF. (birds chirping) IF I HAVE A PARTICULAR BENT, A PROPENSITY, OR A TALENT THAT I CAN BRING TO BEAR ON THIS AREA, IMPACT IT POSITIVELY, THAT BECOMES MY OBLIGATION. AND I THINK THAT BIRDING JUST BECAME - BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A PART OF MY LIFE BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A PARAMOUNT REALITY FOR THIS PARTICULAR AREA - THE TWO JUST MELDED TOGETHER AND GAVE ME THAT VENUE WHEREBY I MIGHT BE ABLE TO SAY SOMETHING POSITIVE AND I THINK THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IS APPRECIATIVE OF WHAT WE DO. I REALLY FEEL WITH ALL OF MY HEART THAT CONSERVATIONISTS, IN THE MOST POSITIVE SENSE OF THE WORD, ARE NOT BORN IN A VACUUM. THEY'RE THE RESULT OF EXPOSURE. I THINK THAT IF WE CAN GET PEOPLE OUT THERE TO BEGIN TO SEE AND APPRECIATE WHAT SURROUNDS THEM, THEY'RE AMAZED. COMING IN FROM THE LEFT THERE. THERE THEY ARE. THERE THEY ARE. NOW THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL A BIG JAY. HERE THEY COME. LOOK AT THEM ALL. THOSE BIG BROWN JAYS ARE GOING TO HANG FOR A LITTLE BIT. LOOK AT THIS. IF YOU ASK PEOPLE TO LIST THE NUMBER OF WILDFLOWERS OR BIRDS OR BUTTERFLIES THAT THEY'VE SEEN THEY REALLY CAN'T DO IT. UNTIL YOU PUT THEM IN A POSITION WHERE THEY REALIZE WHAT'S REALLY THERE. ONCE THEY RECOGNIZE IT, ONCE THEY BEGIN TO APPRECIATE THAT BEAUTY AND THAT DIVERSITY, THEY BECOME STEWARDS OF THE WORLD THAT'S AROUND THEM. THEY RECOGNIZE THAT IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. HOW ABOUT THAT, GUYS? YOU SEE HOW SILENTLY THEY CAME IN. THEY'RE GHOSTS. BOOM, THERE THEY ARE. THERE'S ONLY BEEN ONE TIME THAT I'VE COME UP HERE THAT WE'VE NOT SEEN BROWN JAYS IN I GUESS 15 OR SO YEARS I'VE BEEN COMING. WE'LL WORK THIS WHOLE AREA THROUGH HERE AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND. THERE ARE THREE OSPREY WORKING TOGETHER! HERE'S A FOURTH ONE, AND A FIFTH! THOSE ARE GORGEOUS BIRDS. ZONE-TAIL HAWK! RIGHT HERE HIGH ON THE RIVER! A ZONE-TAIL! LOOKS LIKE A BUZZARD, BUT LOOK AT THE TAIL, IT'S ALL BARRED. ZONE-TAIL, YES! GOOD BIRD! TOO GOOD GUYS, TOO GOOD. YES. I THOUGHT I HAD A TURKEY BUZZARD AT FIRST. I PICKED UP THE BARRING AND, EXCUSE MY EXCITEMENT, BUT YOU DON'T NORMALLY SEE THIS BIRD. HEY, A CINNAMON-TAIL AND ZONE-TAIL HAWK, I MEAN WHAT MORE COULD WE ASK FOR? NOW LETS GET SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING. LET'S GO FIND SOMETHING REALLY WEIRD. SOMETHING REALLY DIFFERENT, SOMETHING UNUSUAL. SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO TITILLATE THE BIRDER'S PALETTE. BUT MY GRANDFATHER WAS THE ONE WHO GOT ME STARTED. HE WAS THE HUNTER AND THE FISHERMAN AND HE USED TO ALLOW ME TO ACCOMPANY HIM WHENEVER IT WAS POSSIBLE. AND HE PUT ME IN CONTACT WITH SO MUCH. AND THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD I FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO BE OUTDOORS. I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND. I WANTED TO DISCOVER. I WANTED TO KNOW WHY. I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IT WAS LEADING, AND IT JUST EXPLODED INTO THIS AVOCATION WHICH I NOW EXPERIENCE. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO RECONNECT THEMSELVES I THINK TO THE NATURAL WORLD AND BIRDING GIVES THEM A VARIETY OF WAYS TO GET IN CONTACT WITH THAT WORLD. IT SPEAKS TO ME VERY PERSONALLY. IT'S SOMETHING, IT SOMEHOW, YOU KIND OF INTUIT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS IN YOUR LIFE. AND AS A RESULT I DON'T ANALYZE IT TOO MUCH. I KIND OF LET IT JUST HAPPEN. SOMEONE SAID TO ME, "I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HELPING "US REALIZE THAT WE DO LIVE IN A PARADISE. "THIS TRULY IS A MAGIC VALLEY. AND THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT."