Naturally Kiawah Magazine Volume 31 | Page 84

102 # 105 No. Eureka Moments We had come to Kiawah on two previous occasions for family gatherings and both times we had marveled at how beautiful Kiawah was. It seemed unspoiled by development. In fact, we had never seen a place where you could live so close to nature, in such an intimate way. We liked the maritime forest, the views of the marsh, the ponds, and the beach. We toured the island; driving up one road and down another – such fantastic houses in such beautiful settings. We wound up the day on Summer Islands Lane as the sun was about to set. We stopped to look at one of the lots. We were heading back to the car when we spotted a pair of painted buntings on the ground foraging in the weeds. We knew that painted buntings existed, in fact we had seen a picture of the male on the cover of the First Edition of Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, but we didn’t realize that you could see them all the time on Kiawah (in the proper season, of course). “There’s a pleasure in being reminded of the value of ordinary life.” Karen Thompson Walker I had been hunting for months for my very favorite “thing” about Kiawah and suddenly it appeared before me on the most ordinary of days in the most ordinary of ways. I was washing dishes at my kitchen sink when I happened to look up for a second and spotted a tiny, cherubic, round, Carolina wren dancing in and out of a hollow in the Carolina pine right in front of me. Nothing out of the ordinary. A happy, busy little bird going about his business. But for me the sight was anything but ordinary because I actually saw him, watched him, noticed him, knew him. In the good old days (before we moved to Kiawah) – and they were good days – I would never have seen that little bird. I was BUSY. I was racing to work, negotiating deals, arranging meetings, attending endless conferences, driving carpool, fixing dinner, living. To be perfectly honest I probably could not have told the difference between a robin and a crow. I most certainly did not have time in my busy life to notice either. But on that ordinary morning I watched that Carolina wren and knew for certain that my eyes had changed – and so had my head and my heart. I found so much joy in watching that sweet tiny creature and listening to the song he sang without a thought about who might be listening. He had allowed me to move in next door and I had found a way to keep him in his home so I could enjoy him as a neighbor. So much of me had changed in the process of coming to Kiawah and I knew then that I had developed the ability to see all the thousands of miracles occurring on this beautiful island every day. More than that I knew I would work to keep the miracles safe and take the time to enjoy them. - Shauneen Hutchinson That was our eureka moment. It was an omen! A good omen! Now, we agreed, we have to move to Kiawah – and we did, and it was the best of things! - Mary Jane and Paul Roberts 103 No. One of our favorite things is to go for a long walk on Kiawah’s wide sandy beaches. The scenery is magical and always produces great photographs. - Chad Slater 104 Number Family and Memories Kiawah is about families and memories. A small child’s first encounter with the vast ocean will likely be imprinted for a lifetime. - Dianne Ladner