The Heron and the Fisherman

I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Tennessee River runs right through downtown. It's a wonderful place just to go walk. Very peaceful. Like many cities you're not sure what you might find when you get there. Jeff and I were on a date tonight, just enjoying each other's company. We had just got out of the movie theatre, and decided to take a walk along the riverfront. Once we had walked awhile, we took a seat, not knowing we were about to get the most wonderful entertainment. It's the one time I wish I would have remembered to bring my camera, because it would have made for some great pictures. There was a fisherman sitting along the water. He had two poles. Well in comes this Heron. It flew in and stood close to the fisherman. The man got up and moved around, but surprisingly, the bird didn't move. Jeff and I just watched in amazement. We couldn't believe the heron wasn't afraid. The fishermen continued to do his own thing, seemingly ignoring the bird. Then all of a sudden, he got a fish on one of his poles! It was hilarious! The bird reminded me of my dog, just hoping for some crumbs from the table. It walked closer to the fisherman, pacing back and forth as he pulled the fish out of the water... Then it came closer, as to say "Please share". And the man did something we didn't expect. He threw the fish to the bird. You would have thought the bird had struck gold! It hurried over to the fish, pounced on it, and then ate it in one gulp. We were so happy to see this. But the fisherman wasn't done. He proceeded in the following minutes to pull two more fish out of the water-- and the same scene commenced. The bird seemingly helped him fish, watching the water probably only about eight feet from the fisherman. After it got three fish, it stayed for a few more minutes, keeping the man company, and then spread its wings and flew away.

This was one of the sweetest scenes I have ever witnessed, and it makes me smile thinking about it. The fisherman wasn't greedy. He was willing to share.

Many people stopped to watch the scene as they walked by. I'm just glad I got to be a part of it.