Lessons from Birds
Animals, especially birds have been sharing their wisdom with me lately.
Pigeons used to never come near the rooftop patio of my apartment this whole last year and I thought it was because of this owl statue that my next door neighbor has on their roof which I know is meant to fearmonger and keep them away (we’re so rude with our inventions sometimes). I would notice them communing at this one utility pole and the roof of a house farther away that they seemed to like hanging out at. I just thought they had no interest to come near our patio for whatever reason, even though we have all kinds of plants and maybe crumbs from eating our lunches there. Yet somehow this week has been different. Since earlier this week, they’ve started to venture on to a new roof, just a few feet away from mine. They seemed to be testing the waters with me like, should we go closer, do you consent? How about closer? How about now? It made me excited and I started to verbally say “yeah come closer, it’s cool”. At one point yesterday we were just about 3ft away from each other from the edge of my roof to the edge of the roof they were at. They started sipping water from a drip edge I hadn’t seen them drink from.
I’ve also been paying attention to the different bird songs I can hear around me. Yes I live directly above an active barbershop, barbecue restaurant and am surrounded by two liquor stores, and yes there’s all kinds of music bumping from today’s hits to 90s playlists to old school jams and as well as Banda and on special occasions live Mariachi that reverberate throughout the block at any and all times, but also if one listens in, there are also bird songs. The earlier the morning is, the more clearly you can hear them. There are multiple kinds and I’ve been enjoying them.
Yesterday I took this video to capture my daydreams as I watched a plane above me: “If we already know how to fly masses of people in the sky, we must already know how individuals could fly too. If the world were not so obsessed with money, how might that impact the way we all travel?” Within seconds, I heard the loud cawing of a bunch of crows as masses of them started to fly above me. Before I knew it, it felt like I was witnessing a song and air show that these crows, then pigeons, then flocks of tiny birds started to put on. They seemed to be saying “just looking at us! Watch and learn watch and learn! Just look at us!”. It was pretty amazing, and I got to capture a small clip.
Then this morning. I woke up early as it’s my turn for trash day. I sat out on the patio to chill after finishing my chore. I was staring at a plane in the sky again and then started imagining winged people traveling to get to places freely in the sky like it’s a normal thing we do. Again, another air show by pigeons and small birds that I don’t know the name of began. Today they seemed to be giving me specifics, “you gambatte gambatte gambatte gambatte then cruuuuuuuuuuuuuz” (gambatte — work hard in Japanese). They kept repeating that way of flying in circular and free form patterns, teaching me the combination of work and rest as well as a non linear way of moving in the world.
THEN. I saw a bird *kick* the owl statue! and land at the pinnacle of the rooftop right next to me. It was a hawk with a yellow belly. I literally said, “Ohhh my goodness. Hello.” It looked down at me and stayed there. I stared at it wondering what it came to teach me. I just stared and stared. And started to observe what it was doing. Constantly shifting its gaze in many many directions rapidly yet steadily to observe it’s surroundings. Using its instincts to know what to pay attention to. I noticed that although I was excited my human conditioning would creep in too and I noticed a shooing away I was doing. It went, “what if I’m just being weird and this bird pecks my eyes out/No, stop that way of thinking”. I decided to take this feeling as a part of the hawk’s lesson and paused to question why my mind wants to operate out of fear. Then I said out loud, “let the fear go.” The hawk flew away.
Looking forward to more bird teachings. As well as teachings from all that’s around me. I realize there is so so much wisdom around if I’m open to listening and seeing.
