On the west coast of Florida

I sat outside by the dock early one morning

A hot cup of tea by my side

The low sun donated a temporary pink hue to the fluffy white clouds

The light breeze danced on the water to make tiny ripples

Birds sang their daily dawn chorus

No sign of human activity

It was my time to be alone with nature

I watched an egret stepping through the shallows

Stealthily searching for sustenance

Just like all other animals

Food water and shelter are their essential yet simple needs

Animals have no need to be fed news 24/7

They have no stress induced by pandemic worries or politics

I wondered what it would be like to have the mind of an animal

Suddenly I saw a big splash in the water

A dolphin surfaced close to the dock

He was probably feeding on small fish

Surfacing again about ten feet from me

We made eye contact briefly

It was long enough for us both to size each other up

I am sure he was thinking about me

Wondering what this human was doing up so early

He swirled around and leapt up high

Slapping his tail on the surface with a loud crack

It was his way of saying hi to me

I waved back and smiled next time he surfaced

I am pretty sure he smiled at me before he swam off

He probably went to his pod to tell them about the human who smiled and waved at him

I could not wait to tell everybody about my fabulous start to the day

Hot tea and a wave from a friendly dolphin