My word for the year is “mindful”. I want to be more in the moment, to perceive and experience the world and its people fully—rather than being on autopilot and distracted.
An Abandoned Birdhouse
Practicing mindfulness, I really looked at this bird house when I came upon it in a friend’s yard this morning.
How cool that they’ve left this abandoned birdhouse out here, I thought. What great ambience it creates, and it gives visual interest to the fence and barren grape vines in winter. I only have my phone, but I need to take some pictures. What’s the best angle?
I stood there looking and looking at the birdhouse, getting close, taking some pictures. I spent about 5 minutes with it.
From the Bird’s-Eye View
Being mindful, I started thinking about that birdhouse from another perspective – a bird’s.
To a bird, this little house wouldn’t seem abandoned, it would seem available. It might be a perfect little one-room apartment for a cavity-nester. A Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse or Hairy Woodpecker might be picking out the curtains for it right now.
One Species’ Trash is Another Species’ Treasure
In different context, my friend mentioned the old axiom today, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Yes! The birdhouse is a perfect example of that truism.
Mindfulness is Its Own Reward
I like this mindfulness stuff. It’s really just another way of saying “stop and smell the roses”. Stop and think about what the bird sees.
Stop…going…so…fast.
