Howard the Hummingbird schooled me good.
Howard the Hummingbird schooled me good. We have a hummingbird in our yard.
Well, there are several. But we have one in particular that sits on these tiny twigs in our front yard. I’ve never seen a hummingbird rest before. I’ve seen them flutter around a feeder. Their tiny wings flapping 100 mph. They've buzzed me, like a low flying plane, if I walk too near a nest. But I’ve never seen one rest. Howard, my husband says he’s a boy, is a beautiful red hummingbird. He's just a little guy. If you blink you'll miss him while he's buzzing around.
He has three teeny twigs on three trees he prefers to rest on. His favourite is a tall cedar hedge at the side of our property that comes to a point. A minuscule twig creating its peak. Howard sits on the tiny twig. The twig doesn’t bend at all. I find that amazing in and of itself. How much does a hummingbird weigh? It can’t be much.
I wish I could get a good picture of Howard. But I never seem to. My camera doesn’t do him justice. He’s rather lovely and brings me joy in his own way.
The thing is Howard rests all the time.
I mean all the time. He buzzes around the yard for a few minutes and then you’ll see him perched on his twig. Resting. I don’t think Howard is a lazy hummingbird. I assume all hummingbirds rest. I have never seen one do it that’s all. But now I do. I can look out in my yard and know within a few minutes Howard will show up on one of his chosen perches. Enjoying the view. Taking in the sounds. Catching his breath.
May was a difficult month for me. I was ill. A lot. I’m a type A personality. I get things done. I work hard. I try to stay focused. I’m always learning. Doing some form a self-development. I run two businesses and I’m working on a third. I blog. Write songs. Send out Newsletters. (Have you signed up for my Newsletter? You should. I mean, join the tribe man. We miss you!) I perform. There are so many things that I want to do and don’t seem to find time for. But when do I rest?
2018 is my year of Honour.
And for the most part, it has been. I said I would focus on my health and I have. Well, I was. Four months I was on a strict Keto diet, but it proved not for me. It was too difficult – or should I say restrictive – and although I never cheated on it, I never had any results either. Why bother? I’ve honoured other aspects of my life and have successes and failures of note. But where I fall short is rest. I go. Go. Go. Go. Until I get sick and then I stop. Stop. Stop. Losing a huge amount of time, money and momentum in the process. What is the point in that? Only to be so far behind that I have to work even more. The cycle doesn’t seem to stop.
What is the answer? Howard. Howard has shown me the way. He rests. Often. He’s a flurry of focused activity with short bouts of rest between. I need to be more like Howard. Who wants to run around so much that we don’t notice anything? Not me. I still need/want to get things done. I still need/want to follow dreams, finish projects and achieve goals. But I want to enjoy the process. Life shouldn't be a chore. And I don’t want to be sick all the time.
Being ill for a month made me appreciate my health more than ever.
I try being positive and looking to the bright side of things even when things are rough. I found it very hard to do that when I was nauseous and weak. I thought of friends of mine going through Chemotherapy. How my sister would come to my concerts even when she felt awful from her treatments. Here I had the flu and wanted to crawl into a hole. I have so much respect for them. Living their life despite it all.
Our health is so important. And yet we can take it for granted. No more. We (I) need to rest. We honour our lives when we do. We need to spend time with friends. We need to go out and see things. Go to a concert. A play. A movie. We need to laugh. Play. Facetime with the people we love who live far away. Chat with a friend on the phone. Go for that walk. Exercise. The To-Do list will still be there tomorrow. Life is worth living today. Thanks Howard. I'm going to follow your lead.
Blog finished. Time for a quick rest. Maybe a cup of tea.