Upset

If Phoebe goes after a bug and another bird gets it first or steals it from Phoebe, how many bugs will Phoebe miss by getting upset at the other bird?

Wren and Phoebe

This morning Wren and Phoebe were on the woodpile together. I noticed that Wren prefers the insects that are on the wood, where Phoebe spends more time flying out to catch insects on the wing. I also noticed that when Wren was singing his whole body was not evolved, where earlier I had noticed that when he is singing by his nest his entire body vibrates. Then I heard him sing a song I had not heard before. All these new experiences in one morning. This gets me thinking about how much I don't know, and how much I have to learn. I am grateful for another day.

Actions

Hummingbird shows up at Bee Balm for a drink, and I am enthralled by her actions. Her wings beet so fast as she flits from flower to flower. This gets me thinking about the importance of my actions in considering who I am. What I do moment to moment is in many ways who I am. This reminds me of the importance of begin mindful of these actions and their effects. Thank you Hummingbird.

Catbird

Does Catbird love blueberries? I don't know, but here is what I see. She flies down and lands on Elder. From there, she takes in the berry bushes until she located a ripe one. Then she flies over, grabs it and flies off. There must be other places she can look for food. This time of year the berries on our bushes ripen slowly and randomly. The bushes are not covered with ripe berries. This makes it more difficult for Catbird. She really has to look and locate the ripe ones. Why does she choose to work this hard to find one ripe berry?

Chipmunk

As I sit and watch Chipmunk eat Blueberries, it occurs to me that she is picking them just like I do. She isn't randomly grabbing green berries, nor is she looking for berries on plants that have none. She knows where the Blueberry plants are and she knows which ones are ripe and which ones aren't. She doesn't pick the berries that aren't ready, she doesn't crush the plants, she is careful and considerate and deliberate. It strikes me that I never really took this in before. If I were out there picking berries with her, we would be doing the same thing. In that moment, in terms of our actions, there would be nothing to distinguish me from her. This gets me wondering what else I am missing? How often do I fail to notice how much I share with those around me?

Cosmos

I look up as I sit outside this morning and look up at the blue Sky. As I do I remember that the Sky does not separate me from the infinite Cosmos that is beyond. There is nothing that separates me from this vastness, nor it from me. We are in a constant state of communion with all that there is. I will do my best to carry this notion with me today.

Now

My culture invites me to focus on what is past and what may be. Today I am paying attention to what is now. I am grateful for this moment.