Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Circle of Life


When we first moved to our new house last year, we noticed that the previous owners had placed bird boxes on many trees around the property. Last year we saw much activity in these boxes; birds going in and out and finally pushing their fledglings out of the nest when the time came.


There is only one house that is placed on a pole that makes it virtually impossible for a predator to get inside the box. This is the way that all the boxes should be mounted we think because yesterday we noticed


one of the bluebirds sitting on the tree looking very anxious. The couple kept flying off, then back again to the branches below the place where we had last seen the box.


We walked over to another pine tree and noticed that something had opened up one of the doors to another box. These boxes are up high enough that a person has to have a ladder to tend to them so it couldn't have been a human but rather a squirrel or a cat is what we are assuming.


When we went back to the pine tree that the birds were making all the fuss about, we found the box in pieces on the ground. All the eggs had been removed from the nest. When we lifted up the nest we found one tiny bird underneath, still breathing but covered in ants.


Bill kindly placed the nest back up on a branch and a few minutes later the parents returned to assess. We took the box up into the garage where it is being repaired but we are not sure what the plight of the baby bird was. We have not been back down there today to see if it survived or not. The nest was placed so precariously on the branch and not in a secure position inside a nesting box so we have our doubts that it survived. 


One never knows from day-to-day what kind of outcome to expect. There are dangers lurking everywhere and no matter how hard we try to protect ourselves and our loved ones, there is never a guarantee from this moment to the next what our future holds.

My daughter witnessed a horrible automobile accident last week on her hour commute home from work. It happened right in front of her. She was traumatized for days because of this accident. When you are on the roadway each day for long periods of time, it is inevitable that you will see an accident of some consequence. Those are just the odds.

A friend we know lost her son-in-law the other day. A young family with three children, the youngest being just two months old.  My...that is the twelfth family or friend that we have lost since December 15th of 2011! I don't think I can ever remember so many people dying in such a short time in my entire life. Certainly not in less than six months! 

It just reinforces my thoughts on life and not having any regrets. We each need to live as though it is our last moment. We need to say I'm sorry to those we have transgressed (I'm sorry...really I am! What more can I say?) and we need to move on and be happy with the great life that we have been given. Who knows if this is the only chance we will get to do things right or not. If we are able to live "another" life, we need to learn what not to do this time so as not to repeat the process but to strive for enlightenment. 

I believe in the circle of life. We live, we die, and then we live again. I'm not sure exactly what shape or form that comes in but I am sure that there is an opportunity for greater creativity. If your box gets knocked down, pick yourself up and re-build it! 






9 comments:

  1. so sad about the baby bird...there are predators everywhere for sure...and we never know when our time will be up, so i agree with you on how we should live life...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brian...It really made me sad to see the parents of the baby so flustered and looking for their young. They realized that something was not right. They kept coming back, then leaving, then coming back again hoping to find something, I imagined. Life is a bit like that, isn't it? We transgress, we realize our part in it, we apologize, but sometimes it is too late...the nesting box has dropped to the ground and we are covered in ants!

      Delete
  2. I really apprciate this post. I have become so aware of the natural world that I tend to take these kinds of tragedies too personally, perhaps. I mourn with the birds or the animals knowing they, too, mourn their young, or the loss of their mate, in their own way. And the loss of a human life, and so many in such a short time span, must be challenging to deal with. We do need to make the moments count, and become as enlightened as possible this trip so as to improve the circumstances for ourselves, and maybe even others, next time around, if there is a next time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mom, I truly hope the person you addressed with the apology really does read it. She's apologized for whatever she did. Can't everyone just move on an not harbor any ill will?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, I have kind of addressed many people in this post. Those who I have hurt know who they are and if they are reading and really want to live a life that is full of no regrets, then they will contact me. But, I look for no miracles in life (even though I still believe in them)! It's kind of like doing the 12 step program. I am willing to make amends to anyone that I have harmed. And then I let it go.

      Delete
  4. Life is so uncertain. This post is a great reminder of that point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You just never know when you will get a phone call with news that you do not want to hear. We must be prepared every moment so that we do not say or do anything that we will regret when that phone call arrives. I have been on the other side of that phone and it is not a great place to be. You live in a fog for quite a long time but finally it lifts with the help of people that love you and support you.

      Delete
  5. I keep thinking about the baby bird, but I also imagine you and your husband saving it. A big man, tenderly helping a little bird. That is a nice image and it makes me happy that there are so many good people in the world. While happiness is not and cannot ever be a constant state, it is important to breath deep and say, thank you for this, whenever we can.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Each moment is a gift, absolutely. It's easy to get complacent sometimes (perhaps to protect ourselves emotionally) and lose sight of this face. But I agree with you Teri, and believe in that unending circle and that we are old souls an a longer journey than we think!

    ReplyDelete

Blog Archive