Becoming a Finder !

A bulbul who is fond of ripe black pepper, visited this creeper almost every day in the morning. It is occasional that I get to take photos of its movements in the creeper because of the swiftness with which it moves in the foliage. 

On this occasion when I found it with a ripe pepper between its beaks, I confirmed my suspicion of its fondness for this fruit. 

The pepper having become ripe, had to be plucked for drying which was done a few days ago. The Bulbul still comes to look for its feed. 

This Bulbul made an intense search for any left over pepper in the creeper following the harvesting. 

I wondered if the Bulbul along with missing its feed felt dislocated from its flight station that it was used to! For a bird, changes are difficult to adjust to. 

 

As I waited to watch its new move, I was surprised to notice that it had spotted a ripe papaya fruit which was already partially eaten by other birds. The above three photos of it locating the fruit and feeding on it indicated to me how most birds are finders !

What it means to be a finder !

We are surrounded by opportunities. They remain accessible, although sometimes hidden to us. Sometimes others by virtue of their confidence in us about our abilities would suggest us to respond to them.

A highly qualified consultant in physical medicine and rehabilitation who works in government service was posted to a remote place in a health centre where this consultant had no facilities or opportunities to exercise her skills. At the end of about three months of facing this discouraging situation, this consultant decided to visit the local school to look for opportunity to help children who had different developmental needs.  That led to children coming to her in the health centre seeking her help. In a recent conversation I found out how this consultant turned that health centre to be a facility to support children with Neuro-developmental needs in different ways. 

This consultant became a finder!

A finder is one who is an active searcher to look for an opening to be available and to offer help to make a difference. It brings returns of fulfilment and addresses the needs of people to move on!

The opposite is self resignation or self pity!

The ripe fruit in the papaya tree was hidden from where the Bulbul was perched. But its need made it to be a finder!

This calls for living with a sense of presence by being alert and inquisitive. Often opportunities remain hidden! They are to be discovered imaginatively and creatively. Sometimes we encounter resistance to pursue what appears a calling! The consultant who needed financial resources to create a facility had to use part of the scary initially to create a facility to help children. It was after a few months those around saw the prospects and opportunity to support the initiative. 

All finders are those who feel a calling and set their heart to pursue it!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)