Finding Your Birdplace

I have always believed that nature is a very good teacher, we are just not very good students. So in June, I decided to pay attention to the birds and I even told them to keep the change. Please let me know if it was worth it in the end!

I recently came across a Wikipedia article on a mythical bird called Goofus. It’s also called the Fillamaloo, Killy loo, or the Flu-fly bird.

It is not the colourful description of the bird that got my attention but the unusual behaviour it exhibits.

The Goofus is said to fly backwards as it doesn’t care where it’s going, only where it has been. The Goofus bird, though a myth, comes with a lesson. It is usually likened to a person who is low in intellectual curiosity and indifferent to their forward direction.

A bit of a mouthful really, I’d simply put; too comfortable in the norm. “That’s how we have been doing it” mentality. Even the law is revised over time so what’s our excuse for doing the same thing for several years, and doing it the same way? Isn’t that flying backwards?

Times are changing and the world around us is too. We could find that we are flying towards the new world but our eyes are locked on the past. One could only wonder how hard our fall will be when the innovations hit us(already hitting actually). With present eyes so steady on those past memories and your mind replaying those scenes over and over again, how long before you realise the circle we are moving in? And worse, the circle you force your followers, subordinate and generation to follow?

There’s also the Mockingbird, not a tale this time but a real life bird. With its talent to mimick the sounds of others, its quite a special bird. This talent is the first feature many talk about because the bird spends so much of the day living up to its name by mocking sounds of other birds. So well that many don’t even know its own unique sound, the song it sings all night long.

A Mockingbird

So are you a Mockingbird? Have you spent time being other people that the world doesn’t even know the real you, your unique sound?

How about the Humming bird? Until I decided to spend time with birds, I did not know the humming bird’s hum is generated from the flapping of its wings and not thier mouths. This made me reflect on so many assumptions that we make as humans based on what we believe should be because of what has been, instead of paying close attention to see what really is.

A Hummingbird

There’s also the Columbidae, the general name for what we know as Pigoens and Doves. Growing up, I have always heard people refere to the Dove as calm, as gentle as a dove right? Well that’s not the only feature of these amazing birds, they also have a good sense of direction. No matter how far they go, they always find their way back home. Isnt that why they were used as messengers back in the time of empires and kingdoms?

This gentle bird with one of the strongest wings in the bird world was sent out during wars and it served its masters well.

A Columbidae

Even Noah chose to allow the Dove out of the Ark, trusting that it would find its way back. The second time it even came back with proof that there was land again. A loyal and reliable bird indeed.

So when we are told to be like doves, maybe it’s more than just being gentle in our words and actions.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Matthew 10:16

Maybe we are also being reminded to be brave despite our gentle nature, to be reliable as much as possible and to always find our way back home.

Let’s end this with the Eagle. Yes we cannot talk about birds without giving honour to whom honour is due.

The bald Eagle

This intense stare gets me every time! We’ve all seen this big guy on logos, ancient symbols, Coat of arms, and so much more. They are not being overhyped really, they’ve earned their place as Kings. I’ll not bore you with the details but there’s one thing that I think of when I see or hear the name Eagle, strength. They are strong, they know it and they own it without an apology.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

I think Isaiah has said it all when it comes to the remarkable attributes of this predator.

At the end of the day, we are still humans. All the birds and animals we come across will behave in a certain way peculiar to their kind. There may be variations and mutations but what makes a Mockingbird a Mockingbird will still be there. They do not enjoy the flexibility we have as humans. An Eagle cannot be a Dove at will, and neither can a Dove become a Hummingbird. But as a human, you can be all of them at will. Yes, the Eagle is strong but other birds have lessons to teach you too. I believe this is where wisdom comes into play.

Know your surrounding sounds like the Mockingbird while maintaining yours. Learn from the Hummingbird to be yourself even when very few understand you. Remember your way back home just like the Columbidae. And finally, ride the storm like an Eagle!

Thank you for reading! 💕

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