Dear Reader,
Last spring, I had the blessing of observing a young robin contemplating leaving his nest for the first time…and I have to say that I appreciated this gift from nature’s kingdom so much.
What a mirror it was to me for I saw myself perched on the edge of that nest right beside him as he considered leaving the security of the Known for the broad expanse of the Unknown. Hours, in fact, he paused standing on the brim as tall and stately as a young fledgling could: his two sturdy feet perfectly balancing his delicate frame still covered in youthful speckled feathers of gray and of white; his black eyes staring intently across the vast canyon of the driveway to the safe haven of the maple tree branches on the other side. But for the remnants of soft downy white feathers that danced in the soft breeze on his dotted breast, he did not flinch nor waver.
And through that pause, I can only imagine his deliberation as he weighed the present sensation of steady footing versus the relinquishing of it for no thing whatsoever but the near intangible substance of air to sustain him ….there too likely was the frank realization that for all of his forethought, he could not know what precisely lay ahead of this inevitable departure.
So what was it in the robin’s heart and mindset that at last triggered him to relinquish the security of his nest and embark upon his first flight? Was it instinct? Willpower? Curiosity?
The young robin fledgling is now lost to my perception in the maple branches overhanging the driveway or perhaps even further beyond in the neighbor’s oak or pine. I am left alone in my vision standing where for hours he stood alongside me on the very brim between the uncharted and the familiar. The absence of my feathered companion draws me into self-reflection and I can deny the call within me no longer.
I ask myself, what final trigger will compel me to take my flight?
I stand poised on the edge of my comfort zone and contemplate the leap that will at last allow me to fly trusting only in the arms of Source to sustain me.
Watch me fly!
May the spirit of the robin fledgling
inspire you to spread your wings
and live your dreams throughout 2011.
If he can do it, we can do it!
Infinite Blessings,
Shelley
Copyright 2010
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