Few of us like to be called “bird-brained,” but there are some wonderful insights one can gather observing our lovely avian friends.
Birds fly three different ways:
- Flap [small birds have to constantly flap to stay airborne, and can only go short distances due to fatigue]
- Glide [some birds can flap up to a certain height and then take breaks, but are still limited by strength]
- Soar [certain large birds can ride on vertical columns of air warm air rising and not flap at all]
When I find myself stressing out about *everything* and trying to flap my wings constantly, I feel like a blue jay trying to make it across the ocean non-stop. It isn’t going to work! Soon after I realize my flappy state, I will start to glide a bit. This might come in the form of remembering to breathe, stepping away from the hustle and bustle for a while, but ultimately I jump back in to the flapping craze.
Yet there have been few precious moments where I was in the “soaring” category! Sometimes we have to let go of our sense of control of things and rely on a higher power. Eagles rely on the warm air to keep them aloft so they save their strength for when they need it. Perhaps this bird of “pray” has the right idea to rely on something more powerful than itself.
So, while we do have to work at making our life what we want it to be, we were not meant to constantly flap out wings stressing out about everything. Figure out what “soaring” would look like in your life and try it out!