A Smile from God

A trio of seagulls forms a smile in the Florida sky

Sometimes, we just need reminded that it doesn't always matter if the fish are around.

And when you're in the Florida outdoors - pay attention. Never know what you might see.

The above photo was sent to me by Capt. Bobby Hilbrunner of Fish'n Flyer Charters. A friend of Hilbrunner's from Las Vegas took the photo off the coast of Fort Myers.

"In the original note he sent me, he told me it was just awesome," Hilbrunner said. "He looked up and saw the birds and they created a smile and they were like, 'How about that.' That's when you know somebody's smiling on you."

All around us, nature is talking, formed messages, even flaunting its majesty. It's up to us to take notice.

Whether it be sneaking up on a school of snook in a kayak, or spotting a burrowing armadillo off a hiking trail, one of the best aspects of the outdoors is simply watching. Notice the damp mangrove roots and the level the water once was at. Then maybe we'll be a bit more thrify with using water. Look to the sky and, at any given moment, you may spot something that the most vividly imaginative author could not put to words.

And maybe, one day, you'll gaze up from the water and think God's smiling upon you, too.