I have struggled finding the right theme with which to start 2026. The world, and especially our country, is so divided. We watch and listen to the news more in fear of what might be next rather than just keeping informed. Some of us choose to leave the snow and cold behind and seek the sun and warmth of the south. Others head to the ski slopes. We are quite different from one another. But are we Americans closer together as we start this year or even further apart?

I was taking a walk, although it was cold, and decided to include a way along the pond that is near my home. Since last spring, I had followed the fate of a pair of beautiful white swans. It started as they courted and not long after, the hatching of their young came about, one at a time. Finally, there were five babies, called cygnets, floating beside their parents. They seemed constantly at peace. I wondered what their secret was and decided to do some reading on these beautiful birds.

I learned that there are six living species of swans, and ours are the Mute swan. The group is called a bevy or wedge. They are mostly found in temperate environments, rarely in the tropics. The Mute swan is only partially migratory, and some will stay the winter. They stay on both land and water and feed from both as they will eat aquatic animals as well as herbivorous material. I watched these seven swans stay together all summer and fall.

Swans have a remarkable complexity through intricate social patterns and have sophisticated communication systems. They have highly organized structures that govern their daily activities and seasonal migrations.

Courtship begins with a ceremony not unlike humans. There are bobbing heads and wing displays that catch the other swan’s attention and are then mirrored by the other creating spectacular water dances that can last for hours. Their senior prom? Perhaps not, as the pair will mate for life. Mating does not take place until the swan is 3 to 4 years old.

After a successful formation with the partners selecting a suitable location in shallow marshlands, the nesting begins with the female constructing a large platform of aquatic vegetation while the male guards the territory against intruders. They can maintain territories as large as 6 to even 150 acres, and the male can be quite aggressive in his protection. This building process will take three or more weeks.

As the cygnets hatch, the mother feeds them and will carry the young on her back. Both parents will teach them to swim. A baby will triple in weight in the first two weeks and will be able to fly after 14 to 22 weeks. But the babies do not leave. Family groups remain together throughout the first winter. In some cases, the parents will teach the young the navigation routes if they migrate. Juvenile swans maintain these bonds until the following breeding season, when the adult pair establishes a new territory for themselves.

This last week the pond was almost totally frozen, but the group had found a part that was not, perhaps from warmer water coming from one of the drainage tubes. As I walked by, they would watch me, the parents in front. I would speak to them, and they calmly put up with my chatter.

The last couple of days have been warm, but I would think that the pond will totally freeze, and I will have to watch what comes next. Migration or finding the best secondary location for the parents and their young.

As I watched all of this and read more, I again thought about our lives versus the swans. Staying married throughout one’s life is less common each year. Unlike the swan, the children are the ones who move away and start a different life. Yes, the mother does the most work and hopefully the father protects the family both financially and, if necessary, physically.

But the calm that I see each day with this family is a blessing many of us humans do not get to enjoy. Rising prices of food and housing. War. Disease and what is necessary for protection. Handguns and rifles versus a sharp beak and fast feet. And we are supposed to be the more highly blessed species with our brains and creativity. These higher abilities apparently come with a higher level of need for civility and empathy. I hope we can imitate a few of these swan moments in the coming year. I will keep watching the swans, which I now call “The Magnificent Seven.”

· Dennis Marek can be reached at llamalaw23@gmail.com.