The kingfisher perched on a cable had another cable adjacent to it just above its body. It was still for a long time before it moved its head to another direction.
To move while perched between two live cables is a precarious act.
It was a solemn sight leading me to a train of thoughts.
What can one do while placed in a precarious situation!
Remain still! That is what the Kingfisher did.
What does it mean to be still! Was it just a bodily stillness! Unlikely!
It was a stillness of composure.
I went through a harsh circumstance at my work place for about two years now. I had no room for movement as I felt imposed with an opinion from many around me as as a 'spent force'. I heard this from a colleague, 'your golden years are over and it is time to retire'! I heard similar words from the administrators of the institution where I work. I was reduced to a corner with no moving space.
I was left with no choice! It was a good enough reason to quit at that time, when one was made to feel redundant. But something within me restrained me from taking that step. I remained frozen not knowing what to do for a while. It dawned on me at that time, that I was placed in that situation to be still and wait for a surprise to unfold!
As I offered to welcome children every day, inspite of the COVID season, even when I was advised to stay away from offering consultation due to to my co-morbidities associated with age, the situation changed. I dispensed with the advanced booking for consultation. I felt ready to welcome every one who dropped in. I was ready to welcome about ten to twelve children each day. Children and families who were made to wait even for three months for an appointment felt relieved that they could get a time on the same day or the next day! It is now a year since this change occurred. Although I return from work only by seven pm in the evening, I return with a deep sene of gratitude for having been still without reacting and waiting for the surprise to unfold. It is true that I went to work tearfully and returned similarly on many days feeling heavy for having been caught in a web suspicion about my motive and ability!
The prolonged stillness of the Kingfisher till it moved its neck to look downward, spoke to me of times in one's life when stillness alone is the way forward!
It was during this period of staying confined to do what was still possible, the idea of revising the developmental appraisal protocol occurred to me. A professional colleague took the idea forward and now we have about thirty protocols in a user friendly way. The developmental abilities of children can be plotted on a graph for easy interpretation. The same person offered to compile a developmental observation protocol for monitoring children at home when they are below five years. That led to two publications for parents, one for observing children who are developmentally well and another for children who are developmentally challenged.
I feel moved by what stillness can bring into our lives! Instead of reacting or defending, if only we can be be still when placed in difficult situations, the outcome would be similar surprises.
We often cannot choose our circumstances. But we can choose to live and relate to the circumstances. It was a learning phase. I feel blessed that Anna cared to tarry in faith when I walked through this valley experience.
Our circumstances have a formative role in our lives.
To live peaceably in such situations is a challenge! If it can happen we would find the moving space sooner than later!
Now I feel grateful to those who nudged me into stillness and awakened me to walk into a new path of opportunities!
M.C.Mathew (text and photo)
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