Looking for a Rufous

Getting Started

Sometimes close encounters provide the jolt we need to make us realize that we ARE stressed out. For me, close encounters in nature are good, maybe a hummingbird three feet away sucking the nectar out of a feeder. Observing that amazing wing speed and coordination makes me appreciate God’s creations and helps me to do “a reset” and alleviate the stressors tightening my shoulder muscles. Runners like to brag about the endorphin rush after a nice run, which relaxes you in a different way. Also, our pets help us to de-stress (and it de-stresses them) as we spend time with them.

Cherries or Lemons?

Metaphorically speaking, cherries or lemons, which is it for you – did you win, did you manage to hit the jackpot before you ran out of quarters? Or, did you keep getting lemons and gave up before even considering making lemonade? What’s the point you say, I don’t even like lemonade. When your life is that off-kilter, what’s the best way to regroup?

Diversions Can Be a Lifesaver

Trust me, I understand the cherries and lemons question, but sometimes a diversion works wonders. In June, on a very warm Tuesday I decided to do a late run. Because it was so warm and sunny, I headed over to a nature park near my home – the park has plenty of shade. Moving into the wonderful shade from the brightly lit street, I felt like one of the children in the C. S. Lewis book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, stepping into the closet and then out into the forest. The temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler thanks to the canopy of trees. I started running slowly on the trail, a familiar route, following it until I came to a pond. This is one of my “meditation spots” that I often enjoy in the nature park. In the middle of a run I almost always stop, at least for a few minutes, to think about stuff and often to pray. Each meditation spot in the park has its own unique attraction for me. At the pond, sometimes I’ve spotted a Belted Kingfisher, usually on a branch overhanging the pond – he’s looking for a meal. Kingfishers are an unusual bird, scarcely bigger than a robin, it is easily distinguished by its oversized head and large beak, which it uses to catch small fish.

Halcyon Days

According to Google, “Halcyon Days, which have come to mean any time of happiness and contentment, are actually the 14 days around the winter solstice. According to Greek legend, the halcyon, or kingfisher, built its floating nest around the 14th of December, during which time the gods calmed the seas for the nesting and hatching time.”

Another version of this story about the kingfisher, claims that “the Greeks had a myth that the Halcyon, a bird we think was a kingfisher, could calm a little area of sea to float its nest upon.” Hence, “halcyon days” are a lucky respite from the storms of life. Strangely enough, real-life kingfishers raise their young on a heap of regurgitated fish bones at the end of a hole in a mud stream bank.

OK, what’s the bottom line in this effort to convey my thoughts about how important it is to let go and relax. I hope I at least made you think about putting away the “to-do list” and the cell phone for a brief period, long enough to look up at the blue sky, take some deep breaths, and calm the seas in your life.

Some Finishing Quotes to Inspire You

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” (Walter Hagen)

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
(Pope John XXIII)

Blogger’s Note about the music:

I’ve been a big fan of Vangelis for a long time and love the calming sound of his music, which explains why I’ve included his music a lot in my posts. If you saw the movies Chariots of Fire or Blade Runner, the soundtracks were done by him. I’ve never seen the documentary Apocalypse of the Animals (maybe I will), but the piece I included in this post is a version of that music. I say “version” because there have been many recordings of his music. I’m including a Wikipedia link if you’re interested in knowing more about Vangelis and his amazing music.