Baby birds and rippling kindness

Tuesday, during my lunch break, I got a text from the gentleman who takes care of my pool. He’s an incredible soul, loves nature, and has often pointed out critters in my backyard that I hadn’t noticed.  He has saved birds, bunnies, and other critters who feel in the water and couldn’t easily get out.

This time, the rescued soul was a baby bird who fell into the pool. The text read, “This little guy was hanging on…barely.” I went outside as soon as I could. He had fished the drowning fledgling out of the pool and put him in the warm sun to dry. I sat down, asked the angels what to do, and then gently placed the shivering little creature on my lap to warm him.

I didn’t confine him. I gave him space to escape, but sitting on my black pants in the hot sun, he nestled into the crook of my arm, leaned against it, and started to relax as his feathers dried, and he started to warm up.  I built him a makeshift nest out of a box and a towel, surrounded him with protective plants, and built a little shade tent. He nestled into his new nest in the warm sun and surrendered to the journey as I went back to work. Later that evening, I was elated to see him settling in for the night in the garden.  The next day, I was even happier to watch him and his sibling (who had also taken the first awkward flight out of the nest the day before) snuggling together and looking healthy and content.

Every year, the baby pigeons and doves fly down before they go up.  The glide from the nest must be exhilarating, but they are frequently kicked out before they can fly back up.  They run around on the ground for a few days, stretching, flapping, and learning to forage for themselves before they’re capable of first flight!  After that, as the saying goes, “the sky’s the limit!”  It is an amazing process to watch. I always want to baby them, but know better than to interfere too much with Mother Nature. I made an exception to warm the little guy who fell into the pool, but was happy to see him exercising his freedom the next day by waddling away from me to join his sibling.

The irony of the specific day struck me. While there was shouting about eradicating entire populations in the news, here I was rescuing one tiny baby bird. One small, but beautiful and significant creature. Some would say, “What does it matter?” compared to what is going on in the world.  But every life matters. Every act of kindness matters. Every bit of love matters. We carry the love in our hearts forever, while the rest falls away. Lower vibrations are eventually composted as we learn from them and return to love. Love lasts.

Every bit of love ripples the whole. Every prayer is a drop of water in a wave of loving momentum, carrying the earth into a kinder reality. We may never know on this earth, but I firmly believe we averted a world war this past week with the collective prayers of humanity. I believe those prayers are still needed. The more light we add to the world, and the more we love, the more we pave a kinder path.

We can be the ones who love in so many small ways. We can be the ones with a quiet prayer for peace in our hearts. We can be the ones who listen with respect to another perspective, even if we don’t agree. We can refuse to be at war in our own hearts or with anyone in our lives. We can be the peace, the love, the kindness that turns the tide.

Even though we feel the world vibe at times, we can consciously attune ourselves to love and all that is good, beautiful, and true. We can give ourselves permission to live and love life, knowing that our love will lift our personal lives and help lift the world into a kinder space.

Here are a few ways you can stay happy and grounded even in uncertain times:

1.  Touch Grass

I love this phrase, which means simply, “get out in nature.” Connect with what is real. Instead of living a virtual life watching other people live theirs, take time to connect your body with the earth and feel the bliss of being in real time, real space, and real life.  If only in your backyard or on a walk around the block, smell the flowers. Feel the bark. Rub your feet in the sand or the grass, or squish your toes in the mud. Put your feet on a warm rock or close your eyes and turn your face to feel a gentle breeze or the warmth of the sun.

In connection with our planet, we feel grounded, rejuvenated, and embraced in a way that is far larger than we can experience while watching others live their lives.  It is healing, wholesome, good for the mind, and one of the easiest ways to return to love.

Nature nurtures.  Allow her to nurture you.

2. See the Glass Half Full

In all situations, there are both good and unpleasant things you can focus on.  While the balance may shift radically to one side or the other, given circumstances, we can always look for the proverbial “glass half full.”

When you find your attention wandering to something unpleasant, search for the good. Refocus on something that feels better. What is good about now? What is good about your choice to look for the good? What is the good growth coming from a tough situation?  What around you delights you? What smells good, feels good, or looks good?

What good teeling thought can you think?

3. Give yourself grace

I say this often because it bears repeating. We, “spiritual folks,” tend to be hard on ourselves when not in the higher vibes.

Sometimes the best you can do is love yourself through some tough emotions. If you feel lost in anger, you can acknowledge that it comes from loving something so much that you’re frustrated because you can’t experience it right now. Peace, freedom, and kindness matter to us, and when we feel disconnected for any reason, we get frustrated or angry. Love that you love the peace, freedom, or kindness. Love that you wish for kinder interactions and a kinder world. Love that you care.

If you’re lost in grief, look at how much you must love to feel this deeply.  If we didn’t care about others or certain situations, losing them wouldn’t bother us at all. But we do care deeply. We long to express love. We long to feel it

And when we can’t easily find that loving feeling, do your best to love yourself through the painful emotions, grant yourself grace, and acknowledge the love in your heart beneath all other emotions.

These small, seemingly insignificant shifts matter. Our small kindnesses matter. They calibrate us to the good that life has to offer. They help us focus on the love that is real and lasting. And they ripple waves of love out into the world, joining countless others who live in love, desire peace, and continue to dream of a kinder world as it manifests… one soul at a time.