A few weeks back, I was riding with Rachael and saw a hawk soaring through the sky above a wooded area we were passing. “If there’s reincarnation,” I said, “then I’d love to come back as one of those birds.”

Rachael shook her head, “Mom, who says stuff like that? Only you.”

My thought: I think a lot of people would like to be a bird if they had the choice.

Yesterday, I was working with Ray outside and he said, “Don’t you think it’d be great to be of those birds up there, riding the wind currents?”

“Absolutely,” I said.

Who wouldn’t like floating on wind currents, after all?

The one and only time I parachuted out of a plane (tandem, of course), I had a tiny glimpse of what it must be like to have a bird’s eye view of the world. A multi-colored patchwork of fields spread out below, the sky and clouds were all around, and the quietness that surrounded me was unexpected and blissful.

So, yes, if I have the unanticipated opportunity to pick a new life after this one, and “hawk” is on the list, I’m picking that one.

Until then, I’ll enjoy only watching soaring birds and parachutists. As much as I enjoyed my jumping-out-of-a-plane experience, and I truly did, I do not feel compelled to press my luck with another jump.

That might, after all, give me the opportunity to find out about reincarnation a bit sooner than I’d like.