I wasn’t going to write today. In fact, I wasn’t going to write for awhile. I felt like I needed a break. There has been too much that I have allowed to weigh on my mind lately, and it hasn’t been all that good. Sometimes, things get to be too much, especially when dealing with everything oneself. I have been experiencing a Crisis of Fulfillment lately, and have been struggling with it, but doing my best to overcome it.
But then, I was eating my late breakfast this fine Sunday morning at my table next to my picture window that overlooks my backyard, and I changed my mind about not wanting to write. The reason I changed my mind was because of the birds. The beautiful birds. The birds uplifted my spirit enough to write about them.
So, as I gazed out my picture window at my beautiful blooming cherry tree and two red Japanese maples that are already fully leafed while eating my breakfast this morning, I saw a pair of bluebirds around the bluebird house that is next to the maples. When I downsized much of my backyard botanical vegetation last year, I kept one birdhouse for the bluebirds. Although it is not in very good shape, they still use it.
I enjoy watching my birds in the backyard…or front yard…or where ever they may be. Then, as I was observing the bluebirds, busy at work building their nest in the birdhouse, I saw a female cardinal fly to the large rose bush next to my picture window with her beak full of dead grassy fluff. She hopped up into the higher part of the bush and placed her nesting material into her nest, and off she went to get more, returning shortly thereafter with a beak full of small twigs.
It is Spring, the birds are nesting, and another season is preparing for the advent of new life. When I was thinking about this and observing the birds busy at work preparing for the arrival of their new families, I was happy for them. It is inspiring and uplifting for me to watch the birds. The birds remind me of life, love, partnership, and commitment. The birds are nature’s biology and instincts truly at work.
Knowing that the birds are busy nesting, I will now have to keep watch as best as I can for the neighborhood cats and hawks that eat baby birds. Sometimes, I am successful at protecting the birds, and other times, not. It sometimes just depends on how vigilant we are of each other. Even the blue birds were dive-bombing a gray squirrel perched atop the arbor near the birdhouse the other day to keep it away. I understand cats, hawks, and squirrels need to eat too, but not my baby birds!
Further still, as I was thinking about all this, I was happy that the birds are partnered with and have each other. A few years ago, I can still picture in my mind the fond memories of an impressive bluebird pair that raised five young in a birdhouse that I’ve since taken down. Mom was constantly on the nest until the birds hatched, and then she began bringing food to them. What I was really impressed by, however, was the male bluebird. He was large for a bluebird, very bright blue, and so pretty. He flew back and forth, back and forth, all day long bringing bugs and worms, and removing the babies’ excrement from the nest.
The beautiful male bluebird was just nonstop all day long, every day until the babies were old enough to fly away. It was truly incredible to watch the power of commitment, dedication, and instinct at work in him. Once the five babies successfully left the bird house and flew off, we understood why Mom and Dad were so constantly, constantly busy. We hadn’t known how many young they had until they all left the birdhouse. It was truly beautiful and amazing to observe!
And then, all of this got me thinking further about what it would be like to have such a committed and loyal partner. What would it be like to have a partner who you could trust to take care of the kid(s) when you were just too spent? What would it be like if your spouse went to get groceries because you just weren’t feeling up to it? What would it be like if you were very sick and couldn’t get an appointment at your doctor who is five minutes away, so you are sent to another location 45 minutes away, and your spouse could drive you instead of sickly having to force yourself to do it?
What would it be like if your spouse could do the dishes, take care of the laundry, do some cleaning, run the vacuum, mow the lawn, take the car for repairs, pay the bills…the list goes on…when you don’t want to do it and don’t have the energy to do it, but know it still needs to be done? And Heaven forbid there is some large crisis that comes up, and no one is there for you, and you still have to handle it. What would it be like if someone loving, committed, and loyal was there with you and for you?
As I ask these questions, I know the answers. All I have to do is watch the birds. The birds are there for each other. They have each other. Life is life. You get what you get, or not. That is the way it is. I know there are birds and other animals that lose partners, parents, or young too. Whether they get eaten by other animals, get hit by a car, or have their habitat removed, I know life is not always the best for them either. Life in the wild is truly wild. We all have to make the best of it. We have to roll with it.
Life can be a feast or famine. When we have a feast, it is nice to enjoy it, but also remember to save away for the famine (whether physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally), because it will come in some form or fashion someday – and sometimes in more ways than one, as I have experienced. And when it comes, we hope and pray that we will be ready to weather it. It is definitely a survival of the fittest.
These are some of the things that the birds got me to thinking about today on this fine Sunday morning. It is also good to remember to be thankful for what I have, that I can eat a relaxing breakfast on one day of the week, and enjoy watching the birds.