It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.
To visit the IWSG website, click here.
To become a member of the IWSG, click here.
Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.
Remember the question is optional.
This month's optional question is:
If for one day you could be anyone or *thing* in the world, what would it be? Describe, tell why, and any themes, goals, or values they/it inspire in you.
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Happy March, Everyone!
I hope things are going well for each of you.
The first image that popped into my mind
when I read this month's question was a red-tailed hawk.
The thought completely took over me.
I could feel my wings riding the thermals rising up from the desert floor,
as I soared hawk high over Monument Valley scanning the rugged landscape below.

Monument Valley
This was no surprise.
I have experienced this vividly a number of times in the past, awake and in dreams.
When I first visited Monument Valley, I felt a powerful connection to the landscape.
For a while I thought that I might have genetic ties to the Navajo or the Anasazi.
Nope, tests confirmed not a drop of indigenous blood in my past, recently or deep in time.
My dreams had me soaring above the magnificent rocks,
and then I thought, perhaps, it was the geologist in me searching for an aerial view.
The Three Sisters in Monument Valley
I have stood above them on the mesa and looked down.
And then one day, in a profoundly relaxed state during a massage,
I became one with a red-tailed hawk.
I was that hawk riding the thermals in Monument Valley,
and suddenly I realized that the red-tailed hawk is my spirit animal.
I know, this sounds ridiculous. I've told myself that many times.
But I can't shake that intuition, that compelling feeling.
Over and over I have soared as a red-tailed hawk.
I've looked into what this means over the years,
and I have come to interpret these vivid red-tailed hawk experiences
as signs of my unending desire to learn and my ability to see the larger picture,
as reminders to trust my powerful intuition
which has changed the course of my life repeatedly,
and as confirmation of my inner strength, courage, and resilience.
Most of all these experiences make me feel protected and lifted up by God's grace.
Much Higher Than a Hawk Over Monument Valley
January 14, 2025
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
This *thing* in the world that I have experienced has not been for one day only.
I hope I continue to soar hawk high over Monument Valley.
Wishing each of you a great IWSG Day,
and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.
Have a healthy, happy, and creative March!
Take care!
My next post will be March 14th 🤞
The location alone is inspiring - seeing it from a hawk's view would be incredible.
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG, Alex! Monument Valley is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It always inspires me. Have a great day, my friend!
DeleteIt's cool you feel a connection to hawks and that they are your spirit animal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Natalie! Wishing you lots of fun visiting around today.
Delete...ah, to be able to soar! I wish you a Marvelous March.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tom! I hope you are having a Marvelous March! I'm thinking of your Lisa and hoping she is improving. ❤️
DeleteI have a video collection that is scenes from deserts set to music, and one is a hawk flying over the desert - it's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat's lovely, Diane! Happy IWSG Day!
DeleteI bet you were a red-tailed hawk in a former life! That's why the resonance lingers.
ReplyDeleteI've thought of that too, Debra. That wouldn't surprise me. Have a great day!
DeleteSounds like a great experience to have :-)
ReplyDeleteRonel visiting for IWSG day Tips For Author Success in 2025
It is an amazing experience, Ronel. Thanks for co-hosting today!
DeleteI wonder if seeing ourselves as a wild bird is a canadian thing? Hmm. Nah, that's too deep for this girl. I'll see you in the sky, Louise. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteI'll look for you, Joylene! Have fun today!
DeleteAnonymously Esther O'Neill, East of the Sun, 0 G Hawk, yes, brilliant - and safe from all the cats so many of us want to be. Maybe you've read H is for Hawk ?
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG Day, Esther! I didn't know the book, but now it's on my list. Take care!
DeleteI don't think that sounds ridiculous in the slightest. And it's a wonderful image, a wonderful way to be able to see, to imagine the world. I rather like the thought of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for understanding, Jeanie! Happy Friday! ❤️
DeleteThose hawks are elegant, so you chose well. Here's to soaring over those beautiful landscapes.
ReplyDeletehttps://cleemckenziebooks.substack.com/p/short-story-wednesday-5b4
Thanks, Lee! It was really fun to see all the answers people shared for this question. Happy weekend!
DeleteI would be Vladimir Putin. Do as much as I could to undo his garbage and then once the last second is up jump into a volcano 🌋
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Adam! I've imagined many suitable endings for this terrible person.
DeleteIt would be pretty cool to be a red-tailed hawk and get a bird's eye view of everything!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherry! I've been lucky to spend many magical hours in Monument Valley, as a person and a hawk! Take care! ❤️
DeleteYes, I think we can have a profound connection to animals and the universe. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
We are the universe expressing itself in conscious thought. Happy weekend!
DeleteWhat a wonderful creature to soar with - or as. Wishing you majestic views and peaceful soaring ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diedre! I just saw a magnificent rainbow, full vibrant half-circle over the land and water. What a great beginning to a day! I hope you are having a great day too!
DeleteMonument valley is a place I must visit one day.
ReplyDeleteYou would love it as a photographer, Roentare! The light, the rocks, the desert life. It's a very special place. Happy weekend!
DeleteWhat a beautiful post. I was soaring right along with you as I read your words and ogled your images.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer! You put a big smile on my face. All the best to you!
DeleteWe have red-tailed hawks here, and they're so beautiful. They nest in the rocks at Garden of the Gods.
ReplyDeleteGarden of the Gods is lovely, Shannon! I always enjoy visiting it. I hope your weekend is off to a good start!
DeleteSomething about hawks and eagles personifies freedom. It's no wonder America made eagles our national bird (finally).
ReplyDeleteThe eagle certainly beats a turkey! 😂 Happy weekend!
DeleteOh my gosh. We basically had the same answer. Enjoy your vacay to the max.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Thanks, Sandra! I just saw a magnificent, but ephemeral, rainbow over the water and land from our lanai. It was one of the loveliest I have ever seen. I'm taking it as a sign it's going to be a very good day. I hope you're enjoying a very good day too!
DeleteThat's great - and beautiful. We need more beauty around at present. And full protection of wild spaces and the flora and fauna that depend on them.
ReplyDeleteOMG, yes, Jemima! Fortunately, I'm surrounded by beauty here in Waikiki, from hibiscus to rainbows to birds. Wishing you abundant beauty!
DeleteHopefully you will soar over the world as a hawk for good long while. What a beautiful idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Olga! All the best to you!
DeleteOhhhhh amazing photos. I don't think you are nuts. I have soared as the Eagle many times. Beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled to hear that, Nicole! I'm not doing a regular Friday post this week. IWSG Day is a huge commitment of time. I'm hoping you and Mr. M. are thriving! Maybe we'll meet in the sky!
DeleteThat's neat to have a spiritual connection to a hawk. I always love watching high flying birds like them soaring through the skies especially on a clear day. It gives me an uplifting (I'll accept the pun! Lol) and spiritual feeling!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you know that uplifting 😂 and spiritual feeling, Steven! Happy weekend!
DeleteWhat amazing sights you've seen with your bird's eye view.
ReplyDeleteOnce did a quiz to find out what my spirit animal was. It said butterfly but don't know about that. :-/
Butterflies are beautiful, Lidy, and they go through such changes in their lifecycle. And they're strong. I think of Monarch butterflies crossing the Great Lakes and traveling to the central mountains of Mexico. Mind-boggling! Enjoy your weekend!
DeleteI love the idea of being able to soar that high, wander that far, without a fear of heights!
ReplyDeleteI think my hawk has helped me conquer some of my fear of heights. I'm much better than I was. Have a happy and creative March!
DeleteI know I'm like really late. But I had an exam.
ReplyDeleteYour adventures as a hawk would be an exciting picture book. It could be a really cool story. You literally showed me all those places with a blogpost and I can't help imagining this to be a little story book.
Have a great day!
Hi, Rida! I hope your exam went well! I'm glad that exams are behind me. I have written so many during my life. You're right. It would make a great picture book. Hugs to you, and happy creating!
DeleteVery cool! That would be an awesome place to fly over for sure. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, HR! Monument Valley is a sacred space for me. Enjoy the rest of the month! ❤️
DeleteI think it's lovely to soar above the skies without being in a plane but none of us humans are lucky enough to do that. A red-tailed hawk looks like a beautiful bird.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.
It's a gorgeous bird, Lissa. Fortunately, there are many in the Colorado neighborhood I live in. I never tire of seeing them.
DeleteThe hawk had a much better view than the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Jean! All the best to you!
DeleteWouldn't it be amazing to soar that high and see the world from above? I'm so with you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kate! Have an amazing, March!
DeleteThere have been several of us who thought we might like to be a bird who seemingly effortlessly rides the thermals. I think we all need to do some hang gliding. I recently watched a video where a hang glider had a some kind of raptor fly in front of him and then land on his hang glider and ride along for a while. Kuhl!
ReplyDeleteWow! What an experience for that hang glider, LM! If I ever tried to hang glide, I'd have to do it in tandem with someone else jumping us off. 😂 Happy weekend!
DeleteThis sounds like a fab experience. Being a bird ... I'd like that too. Just soaring on the thermals ...I actualy think I'd feel more comfy as a dragon ;) I mean no one would even think of eating me.
ReplyDeleteAs long as it's not a dragonfly! 😂. Enjoy your weekend, Charlotte!
DeleteI absolutely love your pictures and how this connection with these birds made you feel protected by God's grace. Reminds me of the verse/ song about eagles wings. Happy ISWG week! ☺️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jenni! I appreciate your kind comment! All the best to you!
DeleteLovely photos
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine!
DeleteYou described the experience so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Damyanti! I hope March is going well for you!
DeleteMonument Valley really looks impressive. I sure would visit some day!
ReplyDeleteMonument Valley is spectacular, Iris! I hope that you get to see it. Take care!
DeleteI bet it would be amazing to be a reed tailed hawk and sour over Monument Valley. What a few. And now of the dust too. When we visited in July there was a lot of dust, but what an amazing place. I think you picked a great animal to be. I can think of several I might pick, and where, hmm, that's a good questions. The world sure is an amazing and beautiful place. Have a super weekend Louise.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erika! I'm sorry you visited when there was a lot of dust in Monument Valley. A geologist connected with the Navajo guided me around Monument Valley on a daylong trip years ago. It was one of the best days of my life. He took me on a number of trips in the Bluff, Utah area over the years and into Monument Valley several times. It's just one special spot in our beautiful world. I hope we get serious about protecting our environment. Wishing you all the best!
DeleteA really majestic hawk, that you presented us. I envy it's possibility to seen the world's wonders
ReplyDeleteunder it 🦅🔮
I wish you Louise for March ahead good health and happiness 😊❤️💐
Thank you so much, Sirrkus! Wishing you health and happiness too! ❤️🌺❤️
DeleteAwesome photos and I can enjoy thoughts of you 'soaring as a hawk' ~ Magical ~ ^_^
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores
aka ( A Creative Harbor)
Thanks, Carol! I appreciate your kind comment! ❤️❤️❤️
DeleteMonument Valley is beautiful and being a hawk there would be ideal.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I have been able to explore Monument Valley, and I've seen many, many beautiful red-tailed hawks. Have a great rest of the month, Jeff!
DeleteIt would be amazing to see the Canyon Country as a hawk (with my own little human brain riding inside somewhere).
ReplyDeleteHi, Rebecca! Definitely I had my human brain riding around with the hawk. All the best to you!
DeleteSure would be a sight too see from such an angle indeed. Not that it isn't with feet on the ground I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteThere are strange connections one can have, even if it sounds ridiculous. Been there a few times. I've only told a few though.
Thank you for sharing that you've experienced some strange connections, too, Pat. That doesn't surprise me at all. Hugs to you, my friend!
DeleteLouise -- I've often thought of hawks representing the ability to see the big picture as well. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that, Yvonne! Happy creating in March!
DeleteLouise, your photos are amazing. And yes! I thought about being a hawk or eagle for this month's question, too. Love you post. Stay strong, my dear!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Victoria! I hope March is treating you well! ❤️🌺
DeleteDear Louise this one touched my heart deeeeply🥹☺️🥰
ReplyDeleteI am glad you were asked such question and your reply to it has helped a greatly in understanding my own intuition and imagination which has led me up the such uplifting flight numerous times throughout the life 😇🤗
Your curiosity made you laugh for the answer I it satisfied my curiosity as well and why I have a feeling you way far so long. Only difference that my flight remains over the densely lush landscape and soothing water reserves. I feel flying over the desert once in a while sometimes it’s daytime and sometimes it’s magical starry nights 🥹😌😊
I agree that such feelings are connected to our soul who wants to rise higher from the worldly scenario. Our deepest longing for learning and to see panoramic view of the world is greater part of it undoubtedly!
The images you used are perfect and powerful to convey your point of view 👍♥️
My complete name is shabana shaheen ,last word shaheen means hawk 😅😍😄
Thanks for all your beautiful sweet words on my posts my friend,you are truly generous to take time and read and leave kind comments 🙏♥️
Hugs ,much love and best wishes to you and to those you love ♥️
Thank you for your beautiful comment, Baili! I was excited and grateful to learn what you shared. I have often wondered what your complete name is. And to know that you have shared my experience is a thrill. I wish we lived closer! Much love to you and your loved ones! Today is Terry's birthday, so we are going out to celebrate. 🎉 This starts the beginning of he one week in the year we are the same age. Big hugs to you! ❤️❤️❤️
DeleteWOW! This was so powerful! What an amazing animal to feel such an affinity for and to have 'flown' with!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kezzie! The red-tailed hawk is amazing, as you say. Take care, my friend! 🍀
Delete