A Tale of Two Birds

It's funny, sometimes the best lessons in life are found in the most unexpected places. I recently was sitting at the pool when I noticed some birds poking around and looking for any stray crumbs or dropped food. One bird in particular caught my eye because he had found the big prize, a complete french fry! He tried repeatedly to pick it up, would take a few steps only to drop it. Another bird was very aware of the situation and was following him like a hawk ready to swoop in and take full advantage of the situation. The first bird just continued on his way, oblivious to this other bird following so closely behind. He simply focused on the task in front of him, trying to pick up the fry and fly to place where he could eat it in peace. He didn't seem rushed or fearful; he just was being in the moment. Finally, the second bird made his move, swooped in and grabbed the fry right out from under him. I was so caught up in their interaction that I actually sat up and yelled "wait" as the second bird made his move, as if trying to warn the first bird to grab and run. But I learned that is not nature's way; it's our way or rather the ego's way.

What happened next really taught me a valuable lesson. The first bird did not react in any way to what I perceived as an obvious injustice. He just simply moved on. He didn't get stuck, not even for a moment, in the emotion of what had just happened. He continued his journey, continuing to look for another stray fry. It was at that moment that I realized how many times I've allowed myself to get stuck in a moment because of anger, jealousy or any number of emotions that our ego brings forth. To truly be in spirit and focused on purpose, you need to go beyond the roadblocks our emotions can present. We just need to do what that little bird did, accept what is and simply move on. Those two birds will forever be imprinted on my mind and I'm thankful to have been given such a vivid example to help me understand that true success comes when we learn to just "be".