Feathered Friends

As I gazed out of the kitchen window to watch the birds on the feeder, I felt a smile grow from deep within.  The colours of both the goldfinch and greenfinch and the shape of the nuthatch always uplift me and help me come back to the present.  One day I will sit all day and watch their comings and goings.  One fact that has stayed with me is that the nuthatch never goes further than two miles from home for the entirety of its life.  I feel humbled by this little bird and its love of home and the strength of its beak.  On many occasions I have watched one hammer away on the top of a post to break down a nut or seed and then watch it teach its young learn to do this; a simple delight.

“I feel humbled by this little bird and its love of home, and the strength of its beak”

Rachel Podger

I am aware that I too am giving myself food of a different nature when I watch them, it is soul food.  I find it both uplifting and grounding.  I connect both with a world that is out of my reach, I can only fly in my imagination and in meditation, and grounding as I remember to connect with the simple delights of the birds when they come down to feed.  I feel as though they grace me with their presence for long enough to allow me to connect with their beauty.  More often than not they appear at a time when I am lost in thought and their presence brings me back to the moment to remind me to enjoy the small pleasures.As the colours change and the days shorten, I will make sure I spend more time gazing out of the window and enjoy watching the birds that come to visit, I might even befriend one…