Alan Lightman

A few years ago, I installed a small playground near my island home for my grandkids. Some of them have now outgrown the swings and slides, but I still like to keep the area looking nice. For beauty's sake, I have planted some rhododendra, hydrangea, rose of Sharon and shrubby St. John's wart in the vicinity.

Over the years, I have seen a great many animals near our island summer home in Harpswell: cormorants, gulls, owls, hummingbirds, ospreys, red squirrels, wild turkeys, eagles, crows, terns, occasional woodpeckers, seals, fisher cats, deer (who are surprisingly good swimmers) and voles (who destroy the garden with relish). All of them are part of the local ecosystem. We habitate together. They go about their daily routines, and I go about mine.

During my summers in Maine, I try to take a break from the frantic pace of my normal life. I rarely look at my watch. If I need to follow the flow of the hours, the rhythm of the tides is plenty good enough for me.