It took me about half an hour of search to locate this bird singing from within the thick foliage of a teak tree, fifty meters high! Its birdsong was different from the usual and invited my attention because it was tuneful and distinct. It sounded melodious and stirred me within.
The early morning and late afternoons are considered to be the 'golden hours' to sight birds. It amazes me how these birds make the garden come alive by their presence and birdsongs. The trees and shrubs which remain silent for the rest of the time, except when the birds are in flight between trees.
The silence of the trees and the presence of the birds are two realities which became rather personal to me during the three weeks I have been at home recently.
The trees are silent except when the wind blows over them. The music of the wind by blowing over the leaves is present all through the day and night, but not often noticed or heard. The difference between the gentle breeze and a strong wind is that the gentle breeze cleanse the leaves from the dust and dirt and creates tuneful sounds. A strong wind might break away the leaves and branches from the tree. Even when the trees are silently present, the wind produces the music by moving the leaves. The music is given to the tree, by the wind. As I watched this for days together during this recent weeks, it occurred to me that life itself is musical if only we allow the experiences of each day to move us to give away the music of kindness, graceful attitudes, thoughtful responses, mindful behaviour, etc. Each experience is like the wind that moves the leaves of the trees to produce music in the air !
The presence of the birds on the trees makes the trees come alive because the birds produce another music. The tree becomes the source for another song! In one sense it is the presence of the birds in the trees which announces the presence of the trees. It is as though the music of the leaves and the birdsongs from the trees create an orchestra in the mornings and evenings all around us. This orchestra in nature is universal, telling us the story of the symphony we are surrounded with. The bird calls are wake up calls to draw us close to nature ! The canopy of sky above and the earth below that gives us the vegetation, is a cosmos that envelops us in its abundance ! There is no room for anyone to feel lonely how much ever one might be under the stress of living! There is a music given to our soul from the trees and the birds. They sing for us unasked for!
Yesterday, we felt the loneliness of a family, when we heard their struggle to find a place for their adolescent daughter, to give her a vocational orientation and life skill preparation, as she no longer benefits from her regular schooling!There is no song in their lives.
We are given a song to resonate this song of awareness of others around us and lead them to experience wakefulness and to find provision for their journey!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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