A nest teaches valuable life lessons
Moments in time seem to be intertwined with thoughts of today’s political nonsense and frightening realities. Twenty candidates lay out alternative pathways, debating the pros, cons of positions on immigration, climate change, borders, taxes, lack of taxes for the upper 10%, the personalities of the candidates, race, sexuality, and candidates’ backstories. Every avenue to the Oval Office is explored.
Though most citizens worry about making every day ends meet, this little summary does little more than touch on the lies, greed, bigotry and cheating that is bringing America to its knees. Once proud, strong, brave and ethical behavior was the norm. Now, as we watch as our core values disregarded, it has become clear that each American has to stand up to this absolute nightmare, reassert our ideals and demand an observance of the fundamental decency which must be the bedrock of our society.
A tiny nest brought me to a place of reality and hope. This nest was resting in a tall mass of wild flowers and weeds. My thoughts were many and strange enough to read like poetry. Twigs, mud, and one withered elm leaf perfectly placed on one side of the nest served as a reminder of the artistry of the nest builder. I was reminded of a few lines of a Roberts Blake poem:
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sun rise.
Those words hold dear to nest builders. Each twig and piece of mud or earth is placed for strength, warmth, durability. The eggs rest on the bottom as both male and female take turns gathering the food once the eggs have hatched. The responsibility is nonpartisan and has no lobbying efforts from the outside.
The family of hatchlings grow and learn from the generations before. They soar through the skies. They fear not a Supreme Bird Court, they fear not a speaker of the bird house or birds of different colors that flock to gather. They learn the survival skills embedded in parental as well as generational wisdom. The air beneath their wings indeed kisses those joys that flew before them.
They fly in unison or pairings as the seasons change. They trust each other for guidance and love, reveling in the excellent cumulative bird languages that range from the deep melodic tone of an owl to the higher range of the chirping hummingbirds. The Albatross is a fine example of courting in unison. Tweeting comes only as a romantic prelude to a courtship.
That poor nest that made its way into my thought process was a reminder that we need to come to grips with other realities of the world such as climate change, which cannot be undone by those that babble greed, and migrant internment with its attendant family separation, which undermines the essential nature of our society. Change is needed as fast as change can come.
Thank you to the birds before us and the flocks to come.
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Ronald Horosko lives in Loveland, Colo. and is a former Kauai resident.
So glad this will work out for you. Remember not to smoke to much.