Savoring this life becomes an automatic and appropriate response the minute I dispense with velocity and pressure. This earth is beautiful and so are we – if I just take the time to notice. … By going slowly, we move quickly through our many layers of defense and denial until we touch the living pulse of creativity within us all. The Great Creator made this world to dazzle and move us. When we slow our tempo to match the natural world’s, we do find ourselves dazzled and moved. ~ Julia Cameron, Walking in This World
What I Learn By Watching Barn Swallows
I have heard some people say “ugh, barn swallows, they are messy, annoying birds,” but when a family decided to build a nest within 10 feet of where I could watch it…well, I found a delight in my summer I did not even know I needed.
Once we discovered the babies had hatched, I found myself each day going out in the morning to see how they were doing. Every evening, when I came home from work, I would check and see what they were up to. When we hit the over-90-degree days all in a row, the babies looked ‘wilty’ so I sprayed them with a squirt bottle of cold water.
These simple activities in many ways became spiritual discipline. As Cameron notes in the quote above, it slowed me down and I was “dazzled and moved”.
Here are some reflections on the spiritual life after observing barn swallows:
- Growth comes with time, patience, and a lot of nurturing. As I watched the little featherless, blue-bulge-eyed beaks in the early days, I realized once again the sheer fragility of life, and the utter dependency experienced by all creatures at critical points when life is new. Frequent visits from adult swallows fed the young ones and kept track of nearby dangers.
- Expectancy and attentiveness assist in getting the nutrients one needs. As the little birds grew, the more they had their mouths open, the more they were likely to get fed. I, too, need to remain open in order to receive what I need.
- Some knowledge comes with repetition. It was the repeated visits of the adults that helped the babies know what to expect. Through the repetition can an understanding of safety and trust which led to growth and strength. Sometimes I fear repetition as I am afraid it will lead to stagnation and a ‘stuck-in-place’ experience. Watching the birds, I re-discovered the value of discipline, regularity and routine… not that it, in and of itself, is exciting and creative, but it becomes the fertile soil in which creativity and compassionate energy flourish.
- Watch, listen and learn. It took only two weeks for those little birds to grow and fly. In that time, I noticed them watching everything. They watched me, they watched the dog, they watched the cat, the watched our family in the pool… they watched for other swallows to swoop. They listened… they listened to the adults when they gave danger warnings, and the little ones would crouch low in the 6-inch nest. They listened to encouragement to take flight. They learned through watching, listening and noticing. We, too, grow in Love as we notice, watching and listening for the Creator in the world around us.
- Sometimes you just have to hold on tight. When we want life to come easy is when it seems that it doesn’t. I don’t exactly know how swallow nests stay in place. They are a mixture of liquid and matter that is packed and somehow “glued” in place, not balanced in branches, but stuck to the side of a beam. Safe space is one that holds fast. As I watched the four little birds grow, I wondered at how strong their tiny legs must be, because they were jostled and pushed in the nest (with less and less room). They had to hold tight to not fall out too early and die. And on the day after they first flew, they held tight to the clothesline in a pelting, driving rain. My reminder: build well, be prepared, and hold on until the storm is past.
- Flying is a community affair. I am not an avid bird-watcher, but one thing I noticed about barn swallows is that flying and the teaching of flying is a community activity. As it got closer to the time where the young ones were to leave the nest, we realized that more and more barn swallows were showing up. Initially, on occasion we would see one adult, eventually may be two. By the time the little ones took flight, there were at least four adults present. Class was in session. And when the little birds left the nest, they did not leave it on their own. There were others always present, and even today, we have a community of swallows perched on the clothesline. I suppose this reminds me that I don’t need to go it alone… and for Oasis? Well, we fly best in community as well.
Blessings,
Cindy
This time with the swallows came at a time when I and Oasis are invited to fly.
Rev. Cindy Garis
Executive Director
Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development
419 Deerfield Road
Camp Hill, PA 17011
(717)737-8222
