Where did the summer go?
It seems lately that the hummingbirds and goldfinches are eating feverishly at their respective feeders. Perhaps they are soaking up the last days of summer and are instinctively preparing for flight.
Watching the birds this summer has been particularly cathartic for us as Tom completed his radiation treatments and regained his health and strength. The birds fed our souls, as nature so often does.
However we have also been amused and amazed at bird behavior around our feeders. And it has reminded me of how kids start to behave by the end of summer. They can become scrappy (perhaps not your children though).
But the birds … my, how they squabble over the food! I had no idea that hummingbirds would be so scrappy with each other, but they seem to chase each other away as often as they stay and eat. It looks like they are either busy eating or scrapping.
Still it has been a wonderful distraction and at times, like a meditation, it takes our minds off ourselves and diverts our attention straight to Mother Nature where we become more grounded in the here and now so we can fly with higher energy again.
It reminds me that we spend so much time surrounded by metal in our cars, technology in our homes, and frantic living that we literally do experience what some call Nature Deficit Disorder.
So I am determined with the last splashes of sun and the shortening of days here in upstate New York to drink in and savor the sweet nectar of summer like the hummingbirds slurp down the red liquid we keep refilling for them. Well, they do not exactly “slurp” but they sure do suck it out of the tiny openings at almost lightening speed. And their wings move so quickly they look like they are standing still in mid-air while the flowers below them move from the draft they create! What amazing little creatures they are.
Here is wishing all of you some final days of barbeque and boating or just some quiet time in the shade with a good book. It is a great way to gear up for the beautiful fall days ahead.
What is just one thing you can do to refresh your spirit before school days get in full swing?