Since my life became chaotic and uncomfortable last semester, I have taken to daily walks around the scum-filled pond at my school. These walks are important for me to escape the normal insanity around me and focus for a brief moment on my own insanity, clearing my mind of gunk. I like to observe the ever-changing life of nature -- the deer, the ice, the flowers, the ducks. Even though my life is a lot more comfortable this semester, I still enjoy the daily habit of returning to nature and getting some fresh air, so I continue to walk around the pond.

During the winter, the pond hibernated. There were no ducks, geese, or even scum. A thick layer of ice replaced the murky water, and a few inches of snow made the pond look like a barren wasteland. I'll admit, the death-like winter was a little depressing, but finally, spring has arrived and the pond has awakened.

The ducks and geese have returned to the pond, and in the spirit of spring, I have consistently seen two pairs of mallards and one pair of Canadian geese, each swimming, hissing, or quacking in tandem with each other as I walk by. I've heard that birds mate for life, and I can't help but wonder how the birds in the pond chose one another. Did the girl mallard see the green head of the boy and decide that he was the one she wanted to swim with for the rest of her life? Did the female goose hear the hissing of the male and decide that he would be a good protector? Or did some other mysterious force of nature bring them together? "What is love, then? Is it dictated or chosen?" (Indigo Girls)

Today, I observed something unusual and unfortunate. As always, I saw two pairs of mallards, swimming away as I approached. Normally at that point in the walk, the male goose would hiss at me, signifying that he wanted me to leave. But he wasn't there. Only the female goose stood on a rock, all alone.

So I am left to wonder if this goose will be like my widowed earring. Will she stand alone on the rock forever, waiting for her partner? Will she die of loneliness? Or will she move on?