birds

Christmas is for the Birds

Posted by Barbara Techel

christmas is for the birds

It’s the coldest day of the season so far. But I felt the need to venture out into my backyard with two small grapevine wreaths, covered in suet and seed, that I purchased Friday at a local eclectic, vintage store called The Red Rooster.

Being a writer, I’m always thinking of my next blog post. I look forward to coming up with what I will write next.  As I hung the first bird seed wreath I thought, Christmas is for the birds.

I thought about the pressure that comes with the holidays and I which I sometimes have to work to not get caught up in it anymore.

Being in nature, as I was just then, was my reminder. I find myself at peace and centered when I’m honoring my heart impulses, the sky above me, and the ground below me as my foundation. And I thought about how animals don’t worry about all the silly things we humans do.

The birds will come and feast upon the wreath and take great delight in being their bird selves. They won’t feel like they need to rush out and get a gift for me because of the gift I provided them.

The fact that Christmas has become so much about consumerism and materialism and getting caught up in what we should do to fit in tugs sadly at my heart now and then.

But being outside today, connecting with the earth and all its beauty no matter which way I turned, this is what Christmas is about to me. It’s about connecting with Spirit, God, Source, Mother Earth and giving thanks for being a part of the vastness of it all.

It’s about honoring and respecting this precious time here. It’s about taking the time to remind ourselves about what’s important to us.

Many moons ago I used to get so caught up in making sure my house was decorated just so and I stressed myself out worrying about just the right gifts to get everyone. I never truly enjoyed the holidays because by the time they rolled around I was stressed and burnt out.

But I now do my best to honor what is right for me. Simplicity, being in nature, time with my animals and John, stillness and solitude.

And funny how when one does this, that then Christmas and the Spirit of it remains with us long into the New Year.

Gazing out my writing cottage window shall then serve as a reminder… that Christmas is indeed for the birds, our earth, all the animals…. and a mirror to which if we look will cast a magical spell onto our human hearts of what the Christmas Spirit is truly all about….Peace. Love. Joy.

christmas for the birds 2

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Outside My Writing Cottage Window- Life is in Full Swing.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Right Outside My Writing Cottage Window- Life is in Full Swing.

Just like that. My whole yard is alive.

Yellow finches at my feeder. Robins splashing in the bird bath right outside my writing cottage door. Hummingbirds dashing back and forth to the sweet nectar hanging within site of my writing desk.

The first hummingbird I saw just a few days ago, well, I just had to sit for a moment in the grace of its tiny, exquisite beauty. I think my eyes were wide as saucers, afraid to blink that I might miss his sweetness perched upon the feeder drinking to his hearts content.

Each season with the arrival of the first hummingbird, I pause, like I did this time too–my hands in prayer over my heart. A sweet reminder of when I’m sure Frankie, my dachshund, visited me as a hummingbird a few weeks after she died.

I loved to call her my little hummingbird, so it’s not surprising I felt her spirit hovering a few inches in front of my face as a hummingbird whose wings were fluttering so fast as if to say, “I made it, Mom!  I’m free! I’m free! And I’m happy!”

There is life all around me with the all the busy wings a flappin’ here, there and everywhere…and it is contagious as I feel a new aliveness within me, too.

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Yellow Bird Says Pay Attention to Nature for the Answers

Posted by Barbara Techel

bird feeder 2This spring I just felt the need to put a bird feeder right outside my window from where I write and work from my computer in my writing cottage.

I took this photo with the screen on my window. But since I want to see if I can capture more pictures of my new feathered friends visiting the feeder I now took the screen off.

But seeing the birds visit reminds me of a moment I had during my sabbatical in the fall of 2013, a few weeks after Joie passed away.

One morning when I awoke I had two immediate thoughts, I want to live a simpler and quieter life and I want to understand animals on a deeper level.

When I opened the blinds on my bedroom patio door I spotted five sparrows hanging out around the bird bath. Two were splashing away in the water, two had their tiny heads bent down sipping water, and the fifth one seemed to be the lookout captain making sure everyone stayed safe.

I got so caught up in watching the birds that time seemed to disappear. During my sabbatical I was just trying to be instead of worrying about what was next for my life.

It felt like I was in a meditative trance as I continued to take such great delight in being with the birds and nature right outside my window. These words floated through my mind, Be free. Be open. Have fun. Listen. Splash. Hop. Sing.

I don’t recall how long I really sat there. But all I know is I felt divinely guided by these feathered Buddha’s offering a special message just for me. And I was open and willing to listen.

I think of that now and am reminded with the bird feeder next to me as I work. To see the birds landing to eat, I pause for a just a moment and take in the grand and exquisite work of spirit.

The messages of how to exist in this life with more ease is right outside our window or a walk in nature. I’m quite sure of it because when I am in nature or just sit to observe all that is going on around me in my yard, I feel this incredible sense of calm.

And just as I finished writing this post, this fellow ( or perhaps it is a Miss) showed up. I’m not sure what type of bird it is. Do you know?

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