nuthatch messenger Archives

*May my heart always be open to little birds who are the secret of living.* ~e.e.cummings

For the second time in three days, fifty-mile-per-hour winds are whipping through our area. I ponder for a moment the thought, how do birds fly in these ferocious winds?

But somehow they do. I appreciate the resiliency of that image in my mind – something so small and seemingly fragile, yet they can fly through fierce gusts of wind.

Oh, how that reflects the planet right now and what is dark in our world, and the more we fight against what we don’t wish to see, the harder the flight will be. But if we believe that light always wins (and I believe it does!) the easier it will be to move through these difficult times. We are stronger than we think.

The nuthatch – as is depicted in this lovely potholder made by fiber artist, Maria Wulf – and often seen upside down – is a wonderful reminder about seeing things from another perspective.

It was about two weeks ago that I very quietly opened the patio doors to head out to my Joyful Pause Cottage studio. I really didn’t want to disturb a nuthatch who was feeding on a peanut butter treat hanging off the top of our chiminea while another one was pecking at the seed block hanging next to my studio door.

I stepped as lightly as I could across the deck to my studio door. To my delightful surprise, the nuthatches carried on as if I wasn’t even there. In between bites of seed, they chortled their sweet sounds. Listen to a recording here if you’d like to hear how they sound.

Once inside my studio, I sat for a moment marveling in the wonder of the enchanting encounter. I’d realized I’d been feeling out of sorts with so much negative news of late and how the world has felt so upside down these last few years. But yet in those short few moments with those nuthatches, I was transported to a gentler and kinder realm.

It was two days later that I’d see the beginnings of bird potholders being created by Maria Wulf and featured on her blog. My eye went right to the nuthatch and I knew it was for me.

I quickly emailed Maria asking if it was still available. After hearing back that it was I shared with her my encounter with the nuthatches and why I had to have that potholder. As it would turn out, the other bird potholders sold quickly too and many of those had a story also from those who bought them. You can read about them here on Maria’s blog.

Not only did I feel part of a sweet moment of community with those nuthatches on my deck that day, but now I felt part of this bird-loving community through the potholders Maria created and then in the sharing of the stories on her blog.

While the world can often feel upside down, I deeply appreciated these moments of coming back to the heart of what matters – and how this potholder – which matches so nicely the colors in my home – will now be a reminder of all the good and beautiful in the world.

While at some point I may actually use it as a potholder, I thought it fitting, for now, to hang it on the back of my Joyful Pause Cottage studio door for those times I need a reminder to shift my perspective and to remember that I can weather any storm.