cf..: Tree and Sparrow
Tweet tweet.
“Hello, my sparrow. Many moons it has been since last you alighted upon my branches. I have missed you, all the while watching your travels from afar. So tell me, my dear one… who have you become since last we met?”
Well, my grandmother, my journeys seem to have taken me in a circle, or perhaps a spiral, to where I now see the same place as before, but from a greater vantage point, not of elevation, but of centering.
“And what is the center upon which you now perch?”
It is love, my grandmother. Love in so many ways, for so many things, and people, and places, and circumstances, and stories, and ways of being. It is a greater sense of love for those around me and the multitude of journeys that we are each traveling. It is love for not only what is possible, but also for what is in the way – real or imagined – for the obstacles too have lessons to teach me.
“Yes, my sparrow, they do. But often, the obstacles we see are not what they appear. They are not challenges to be overcome, but invitations to learn new ways of listening. So tell me, what is it that you hear?”
From here, I can hear the sounds of other birds in the trees. I can hear the sound of the wind gathering strength and energy from the sun, breathing in, and then exhaling into the sky to join the clouds. I can hear the colder air moving in to take its place. I can hear the sounds of footsteps from fellow travelers on this journey of life. I can hear the chatter of other conversations – many conversations – each with its own sense of purpose, for some, and wanderings for others. I can hear cycles in all things. I can hear cycles of peace and tranquility, giving way to restlessness, moving into action and exploration and discovery, the joy of learning, and the search for meaning.
I can hear the footsteps of the squirrels and chipmunks at my feet as they look on in wonder at what I am doing in their land talking to you. I can hear the screech of the hawk far above that would like to make a meal of the little ones at my feet. I can hear the noise of activity all around. But most of all, I can hear, or more honestly, I can feel the calm in the center of it all that is rooted in love, deeply rooted in love, and reaches upwards to the sky as an act of creative self expression. I am learning the value of stillness, of calm, and of patience. I am letting go of the rush and hurry, and the false sense that there is an arbitrary goal, target, or level of achievement that I must reach.
I am learning that it is indeed good to have goals, dreams and aspirations, but to hold them lightly and to move towards them with the effortlessness of the wind and in harmony with the cycles of all that surrounds me. I am learning that I am still in charge of my destiny, but that it is far easier to reach my goals by flying with the wind than against it. And to do that, I must be still and quite enough to sense where the wind is coming from, and where it is going. Not all winds are going where I wish to be… so be still. Be centered. And throw myself into only the winds that are traveling in alignment with my higher purpose, and grounded firmly in love and connection with others.
It is time to reconnect and fly with my flock, rather than separate or apart from it. Sparrows are not solitary birds. Find my flock. Because I need their help, and I don’t even know what that looks like yet. But sparrows are not solitary birds. Join my flock.
Tweet tweet.
