I watched a Greater coucal in our garden immersed in its grooming routine and sunbathing during the short respite in between the rain spell. It stayed alert and attended to its body care.
A little distance away there was a Bulbul perched in its flight station and readying itself to move to the next station. It too was alert and was taking in a wide view of the air space. Its body movements showed its preparation to fly away.
Both these birds showed two different aspects of bird life. The first one preparing to be flight ready by grooming and the Bulbul by deciding on its flight path.
These two different sights were timely messages about the way of living.
The first bird was a metaphor of living attentively to stay well and ready for action. The Bulbul was a metaphor of planning and choosing the movements forward.
I found that the last two days brought an experience that integrated the above two functions in my life.
I was able to recall a few experiences of the recent years and make sense of them, with fresh insight. It meant revisiting my involvements with people and engagements in situations where I had some responsibilities. It was an occasion to feel grateful for pleasant experiences and revisit difficult relationships. I felt surprised how viewing from a distance brings joyful and thankful memories. It brings a liberal attitude towards the difficult times. Just as the 24 hours are divided between day and night, so are also the experiences of life. I felt a new sobering spirit entering into my inner ambience.
The other metaphor of movement readiness of Bulbul brought a fresh awakening within me. There is a journey forward beyond where one has arrived in living one's calling. To be trapped in the valley or peek experiences of the past can be a loss as the journey beyond can bring surprises to fulfil the silent desire one longs for.
In the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd, in the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the dream to find a treasure which he was used to seeing while sleeping under a sycamore tree, near a ruined a church, took him on a long journey to the pyramids of Egypt. That long journey had several twists and turns. A the end, Santiago started digging at the foot of the pyramids, only to be accosted by two men, who stopped him for his foolish ways. While narrating his story, one of them, told Santiago about the worthlessness of pursuing dreams as he too used to have a dream of a treasure hidden in a church in Spain where a sycamore tree grew. Santiago remembered that it was the same dream he too had. Santiago returned to Spain and found a chest of jewels and gold buried under a tree in the church surrounding.
Santiago's story is a journey into life to find a treasure, which needed a long and troubled path of searching before finding the treasure where he lived.
The turbulences and trials of life experiences are the pathways that shall lead us to discover the 'treasure in the earthen vessel' that we are!
The Greater Coucal and the Bulbul birds were visitors in our garden to bring a message about the call in life- live by attending to stay well and choose the path ahead perceptively! When having to travel through difficult terrains, they become formative experiences to make us ready to receive the treasures hidden within ourselves.
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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