I LOVE my humility!! ;)

Good Morning!  It's been awhile.  Somehow, after my dear friend passed recently, I just haven't felt much like writing.  It seemed frivolous and disrespectful somehow.  And I honestly didn't have the head space to afford new revelations.  But time slowly heals doesn't it?  Never completely, but enough to treasure memories and move forward while adding those memories to your everyday thought perusal.

That being said, I couldn't ignore the life lesson that Mother Nature humorously plopped into my lap the other day.  The thought of it still makes me giggle.  It's the lessons laced with humor that seem to stick with me.

So, there I was, nestled into my favorite recliner with my world completely right about me.  Hot coffee in my favorite mug clutched in my grimy little fist, the local newspaper spread onto my lap that was ensconced in my favorite soft blanket.  I sound like a nancy, but if I have time for this routine in the morning it is a huge treat! :)

I heard the tap-tap-tap on the picture window adjacent to my chair and looked up to see our resident winter chickadees fluttering in for their morning feeding.  Since we don't have cable TV, this is our entertainment.  It's so fun watching them swoop in and take turns at our two feeders.  And by putting feeders right against the windows, we avoid the squirrels stealing all the chow, and the birds slow up to see what's in the feeders so they don't crash into the windows.  It's a win-win for everyone.

On this particular  morning, I was watching as two chickadees alighted on the little ledge around the feeder.  The bird on the right busily got to work digging for his favorite morsels with great relish.  But the bird on the left seemed a bit confused.  The feeder is clear plastic and he could see all the deliciousness right through it.  It made sense to him to peck straight forward...which he did...repeatedly.  The bounties of heaven were laid right at his little claws within easy reach, but he couldn't figure that out.  He kept pecking fruitlessly at the plastic  EVEN while his buddy one inch away was practically purring in pleasure at the good eats he was getting. He never did figure it out.  All too soon his time at the feeder was up and one of the 14 other hangry birds clustering around soon chased him off.

I just stared at first.  I thought for sure that he would get the hang of it.  But he didn't.  And then I thought.  Wow.  How like us.  How often do we have opportunities spread out, with clear arrows pointing the way, the smell of success hanging in the air, and others who've gone before us right there, encouraging us.  And yet we hold on to OUR way of doing things.  OUR perceptions. OUR ill-placed pride. It must drive God nuts.  We have such blinders sometimes don't we?  We keep banging our head against that plastic because we see good things right on the other side, when if we just looked down, or let another opinion in, or heaven forbid humbled ourselves for a second, we would have instant success.

So, knowing me, I couldn't just let this lesson slide by.  I started looking into my own life, and my penchant for doing things MY way, (Yes dear Husband, I recognize the trait....), and I was a bit ashamed.  I can be downright indignant and  self-righteous when I think I have the answer.  And I often think I have the answer.

I have my own stuff I'm working on, it's a continual journey towards being the kind of person He would like me to be. Every day He brings me new things to think about, new things I need to be aware of and let Him guide me on.  I appreciate that.  God can take a simple bird feeder and two of his smallest creatures and create a visual lesson that kicks me in the gut.  How like him.

So I urge you to look around.  Especially if you find yourself in a rut,  mindlessly proceeding in the same pattern while desiring and expecting different results.  Take a second to see how someone else might be succeeding at the same thing.  I certainly intend to.  I plan on learning lots.

Make it a great day!