Why Do Birds Sing?

Today I am grateful for a good meal enjoyed at a relaxing pace and in pleasant company. I am also grateful for our dog Oliver and his predictability.

This quote has been hanging around in my head for a few weeks:

"A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song."
(Joan Walsh Anglund)

I have also been listening to and appreciating the birds for several weeks now. It is one of the things I love about spring. They sound especially beautiful and inviting those first mornings hearing them again after the winter months. Sometimes I ask myself too many questions and think too much about things I can do little about. I am learning to just pause and enjoy the moment more. Birds sing in the moment.

I did wonder why this writer chose to use "he" and not "she" or "it" in this quote. But that is as far as I went with it.  He, she, or it, birds sing and humans appreciate. At least we should. It starts with paying attention.

I guess I could apply this to my gratitude practice. I don't practice gratitude because I have some magical answer, some secret to success. I practice gratitude because I never run out of things for which to be grateful.

My energy has been drained with busy times, but I still receive energy back when I listen to the birds and when I mindfully consider what I appreciate here and now.

I will be taking another blog break until early next week. Consider worrying less about answers that will come in their own time anyway. Consider noticing the singing birds instead.

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