There is trouble at the bird feeder. First of all, the little birds that to my embarrassment I haven’t bothered to identify because they are so “common” have been eating me out of house and home. I fill the feeder up in the morning and by the evening when I get home from work it is over halfway gone and by the next evening it is virtually gone. The little as yet unidentified birdies…pardon the expression… flock to the feeder, sometimes as many as six perched on various parts of it, gobbling down seeds and harassing one another, chasing each other away from the feeder. It’s gotten quite contentious. I think when I run out of seed–which is likely to be any day now–I won’t buy any more until the autumn. For one thing, I can’t seem to keep up with the voracious appetites of these little critters and I’m not anxious to contribute to the mob wars that are taking place outside my living room window.
Frenzy at the Feeder
Tonight I sat watching the news as I ate dinner, like usual. Two stories caught my attention. The first was about the effect of music and singing on the healing and nurturing of premature babies in the neonatal units of hospitals. I must confess that my heart does a little flip when I see newborns these days–so small and precious…but I also felt a pang of sadness as I watched the tiny little babies, hooked up with tubes and monitors. They, like so many of us, respond favorably to music; being sung to as they lie there in their incubators, or being held and sung to by music therapists, hospital staff, or their anxious parents, slows their breathing, quiets their racing hearts, and soothes them. I am grateful for the impact that music has had in my life–how it provided me a means of self-expression that I hadn’t experienced before, how it allows me to reach out and connect with people in powerful ways, how it soothes my soul and spirit in similar ways to what it does for the babies. What a blessing music continues to be for me. I am grateful to be able to play an instrument, sing, and write songs that allow me to share a piece of who I am with anyone who listens. It is truly a gift.
The other news story today talked about the healing power of animals. The report followed a teenager who’d had heart transplant surgery. The hospital allowed the family to bring his dog in to visit him in the his hospital room. As was the case with music and the preemies, the presence of the dog helped speed the boy’s recovery from surgery. Increasingly, hospitals are experimenting with allowing dogs and cats in as a comfort to their ailing human companion. The animals are bathed, groomed, vaccinated and carefully screened before being allowed in the hospital, but once they’re in, their presence has a positive impact on the patients. (So far there was no mention of people being allowed to have their pot-bellied pig or their pet snake in the hospital, but who knows?) This story made me turn to my canine companion. I am so grateful for her presence in my life, her patient, sweet, funny disposition. I’ve no doubt that she helps keep my blood pressure down, calms my heart, lifts my spirits on a regular basis. I am grateful for her every day.
Honor Rides Shotgun Across Ohio-October 2012
What gives you joy? What soothes your mind when you’re anxious or preoccupied? What connects you with other people? I am grateful for those things in my life that take me out of where I am and lift me to a different space: that bring a smile to my face, a deep sigh, a good belly laugh or touches me in some way. Tonight I am grateful for the nightly entertainment at the bird feeder, the joy I get from listening to as well as playing music, and of course from my four-legged companion, who daily shows me what unconditional love really looks like.
