Since I started my "Miracle Mornings," a routine of 6 activities to create greater fulfillment in life, I've had some unexpected results from my efforts to meditate.
Here's a story about how my meditations led me to almost murdering a couple of birds—with hopefully a few helpful insights mixed in.
Have a wonderful week!
A Tale About Meditation and Murder
The parable of the wrens in the vent
Part of The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod is "sitting in stillness."
That should be easy, I thought. I do plenty of energy work and Energy Breaths with my patients all day long. All I have to do is just focus on breathing. How hard can that be?
I had an agenda: to let go of my anger and self-righteous resentment towards a woman who had been thoughtless and inconsiderate to me. But, I found myself wanting the universe to teach her a lesson.
Sitting on a lounge chair in my backyard, I set my timer for 10 minutes and relaxed into focusing on my breath.
Flap, flap, flap. Flap, flap, flap. Flap, flap, flap.
What is that sound? I turned my head to see a little brown bird, like a small wren, pecking and flapping by a vent, over 15 ft. up on the side of my house, then disappearing into it. What?! Did I just see what I saw?
I will ignore that, I thought, and refocused on meditating. Breathe in. Breathe out.
"Handyman. Call a handyman. Nextdoor.com just recently had some handyman recommendations," my mind insisted on thinking.
I tried to ignore it, but it was useless. I called a handyman named Jose who was happy to help remove the nest from my vent on July 4th.
Early on July 4th, I am meditating on the lounge chair again. Flap, flap, flap. I turned, and this time I noticed that there were two birds that went in and out of the vent. Hmmm, could there be some baby birds up there? (The thought made the smallest of blips before it was replaced with focused intent on nest removal.)
Indeed. When the nest came out like a tube of dried grassy toothpaste from the vent, there were two tiny, baby birds, with no feathers and little stubs for wings. The handyman put the nest on a low shelf in my backyard garden. Later, when I checked, a baby bird had fallen through the bottom of the nest and shelf netting onto the ground (not too far a drop). I readjusted the nest to a higher shelf and tried to arrange the nest around the birds. Unfortunately, the nest was a soft, flimsy sort of creation, and the bird's feet went right through.
With one hand under the nest to keep the birds from falling through and another hand clinging to the wooden shelf, I cried, "What have I done?!" I didn't mean any harm to helpless baby birds. I should've thought things through and waited a couple of weeks. Luckily, a small plate was within reach, and I settled the nest on the plate to save the birds from falling.
Will the parents find these birds in time? Maybe I should find some worms for them. . . With a small shovel, I started digging around the garden. Everywhere I looked, no worms. Ughhhhhh! No wonder the early bird catches the worm! There are no worms in the afternoons! Where do they all go?
Later in the evening, I visualize guiding the parent birds to their nest. I pray a little for extra help. That night I dreamt of a girl who was very sad because she had to wear a metal grate over her nose and mouth. I think I was picking up on the mother bird's vibes, or maybe I was processing my guilt.
First thing the next morning, I open the patio door wondering if the birds would be chirping below me. They were! They're still alive! Later that afternoon, I went to visit a nearby bird store. The cashier told me that the parents must have found them, or they would not be chirping still. I bought a big bag of birdseed and left some up on the shelf for the parent birds, to apologize for my thoughtlessness.
The baby birds are chirping several days later. The seeds are half-eaten. I don’t know if or for how long they will survive, but one thing is for sure, the universe has taught me a lesson I thought only someone else needed: to be more thoughtful and less selfish when dealing with others.
Have a wonderful week!