It’s definitely spring. I even came across a cwute widdle Bambi staring at me up close during a run the other day. Yes, if any of us look around Bainbridge Island right now, we will see young offspring, usually with a parent, usually getting fed (or demanding it loudly, at least).
I know it’s Let the dog in! but no one in this household can have any puppies, or babies for that matter (And please don’t remind me how close it’s getting for the Kid! I am already way down the freak-out plank on that issue!), so we have to look outside to the feathered variety.
I’ve noticed lots of baby birds, juveniles, really, being nourished. These downy woodpeckers were one set:
And there were those red house finches the other day who were too quick for me… I did snap these black-capped chickadees hanging out. Their cute little heads were too fast for me to get a shot of the feeding, though.
If you can take the time to notice the feedings, they provide a good reminder of what we should all be doing, nourishing ourselves.
It’s easy to forget when you are stressed or under pressure (whether a real, tangible threat or one of those what-if‘s I’m so good at creating). But it’s exactly those times, when you’re at the end of your branch rope, that you would benefit the most from some form of healthy nourishment.
Or when you’re just plain unhappy about a turn of events beyond your control.
Taking care of your self (body, mind and spirit), feeding your self, physically and emotionally, having compassion for your self, it’s all easier said than done. Believe me, I know. I’m more of a go-directly-from-A-to-B-cut-the-crap-get-a-move-on-be-efficient type.
If you have a child, you can probably easily lavish praise and love on that small soul. It comes naturally, but for some reason we forget that inside us is also a little soul that needs nourishment.
But if you can lower the volume of the noise in your head for just awhile, that alone can be soothing to your soul, whether it’s talking a quiet walk, gazing out a window, meditating, shooting wildlife pictures…
Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements wrote “your whole mind is a fog which the Toltecs called a mitote. Your mind is a dream where a thousand people talk at the same time, and nobody understands each other.” Absolutely.
Mine like to cuss, swear and pick-pick-pick. It’s a madhouse in my head! Sometimes it’s loud and obvious, and sometimes it’s a barely perceptible, teeny tiny, sneakier-than-hell voice.
Either way, it feels good to shut them all up, even if they keep returning, uninvited, and do something that feels good, inside and out.
So take a look outside, see the reminders Mother Nature offers, and go nurture yourself! The good vibe you create in yourself will spread to everyone around you, too!
