Getting the Messages

Our most recent visit to the Nuclear Park—about a week and a half ago when the weather was fine—confused me a little. I had hoped to see Herons…planned to, in fact, since the last time we were there had been a Festival of Herons. But our walk around the lake was utterly heronless. Mostly, I saw and heard—kingfishers.

I knew by his visit to my Solstice celebration that Kingfisher was probably going to be prominently featured in my life this year. I'm also aware that I have been studiously not heeding part of his message—that part about getting daily cardiovascular exercise. I couch-potatoed my way through most of the month of January and was starting out February the same way.

So I’ve decided to take that message to heart, beginning with a daily walk, since I know I’m desperately out of shape and don’t really want to court a heart attack or stroke. Just so you know, a “walk” for me is not a leisurely amble. It’s an arm-pumping, long-striding, uphill and down dale sort of affair. These first two mornings, I’ve chosen my “short” route—a three-mile circuit through the neighborhoods up the hill behind my house. So it’s not like I’m not challenging myself some.

Another of Kingfisher’s admonishments is to set aside a few minutes every day to just…think. With no structure or restrictions on the thoughts. It occurred to me today that my solitary walks up into the country are the perfect way to accomplish this. With the blood moving and the endorphins cranking, I indulge in a lot of positive contemplation; rather than the morose wallowing I tend to do when I’m potatoing on the couch.

Besides the continuing instruction from Kingfisher, I have become aware that there are two birds demanding my attention right now. Wherever I go, these days, I am accompanied by mobs of crows and the songs of sparrows. The other day, I was working out in my garage, and a crow outside in the top of the cemetery fir tree was making such a ruckus that I poked my head out the door, looked up at him and demanded, “What??!?” And then I immediately became aware of the sweet song of a little sparrow. He was perched on top of the fence not fifteen feet from me, singing his heart out. As soon as I turned my attention to the sparrow, Crow shut up. It was if he had called me out to the driveway to come talk to Sparrow.

And this morning as I walked my circle, my path was literally littered with sparrows. They flitted in and out of the brambles beside the road; sang their sweet little songs. When I spoke to them, they didn’t fly away…rather, they seemed quite happy to pause and look at me, heads cocked to one side, completely unafraid; as if to say, “Good morning! We are your guides for the day!”

So of course I had to consult my reference book to see what message Sparrow might be bringing me. I can’t say I was displeased by it:

This is a very productive and prolific time.
Look for the nobility in the most common of things and people, including yourself.
Walk with poise, your head held up, eyes straight ahead, showing the world your self-respect and dignity.
Your heart is opening more and more to the love you receive and you’re more readily expressing love to others.
Your energy and vitality are awakening…

“A very productive and prolific time.”

Oh, yeah. Bring it on!