Smell the Birds

Several days ago, Marjorie blogged about the cedar waxwings. I had never seen one before but they looked like cute little guys. We began a bird study in the fall and 'birding' is an ongoing family project. Well, the very next day we were about to pull out of the grocery store parking lot and I glanced over to one of the landscaped islands and saw it was teeming with birds. I drove over to check them out and it was a huge flock of these handsome birds. They were feasting on some juniper berries. We sat in the van and observed them for a long time. We noticed their interesting markings, how they hovered over the berries in a a way reminicent of a hummingbird and how they flew up into the branches of the trees if they were startled, but they quickly came back to the berries. Quite the impromptu nature study, no?

I have, of course, heard the phrase "stop and smell the roses" at least 400 times in my life. The concept of slowing down and enjoying your surroundings, both the people and places, is very appealing to me, but practically I have not 'owned' this idea. One of the reasons we began HS was a yearning to do more of it though.

Reflecting on the cedar waxwing sighting I began to realise that a big hinderence in actually taking time to "stop and smell the roses" is not really knowing much about them! It is undeniable that roses do indeed smell very good. However, I am sure I would be much more likely to stop and take the time to smell and appreciate them if I knew more about them. Perhaps if I knew more about their necessary growing conditions, their particular name and maybe how old they were or who knows what else, it would be some much more fufilling to pause and enjoy their beauty.

I am sure this theory holds true in relationships too as well as nature or any subject actually. The more you know about the lady who sits in the front pew in a hot pink blazer every Friday at daily mass, the more likey you would be to take the time to stop and enjoy her company. Closer to the home front, the more I know how much my child has practiced pumping himself on the swing, the more excited I can be for him when at last he has the independance to swing for the clouds!

I am so thankful I have this opportunity to learn this lesson. I really want, I really and truly desire to feel connected with my environment and with the people around me, both close to home and not. I think this insight will help me so much, not only in our HS adventures, but also in my relationships. I admit it sounds intuitive; the more you know the more you care. Honestly though, I never stopped and took the time to 'smell the roses' and put two and two together!