The Old Bird

An old bird interrupted our practice that morning. It hopped slowly towards my mat and stayed for a while. At first, I didn't know what its heart sang. You know this bird, too. They are common in our cities, small, brown and speckled with black feathers, and teeming, like living musical notes on the telephone lines.

We were doing our morning meditation in the casita. The casita was a simple affair, big doors and windows to let light and the breeze in. It had a thatched nipa roof and was alive with the singing of so many birds. They would fly freely in and out of the casita doors, and some would collect nipa leaves from the roof to use for their nests. Many of them stayed in the airy space above our mats, except for the old bird. This one had eyes that were near white and its feathers were ruffled. Every little hop it made towards me meant using all the effort its body could muster. It looked at me and then my friends and then stayed a while.

I knew this bird was dying. Not once did it attempt to rejoin its friends above. I told them, "My little friend, I know you are dying." "Of course," it replied and decidely headed for one of the big windows, where sunlight streamed down. There was no trace of sadness in their song. It knew its end and it knew it was not alone. We had a roof of wings and tweets above out heads, after all.

"Listen, strange girl*, my song continues."

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I don't understand why physical bodies must end. Perhaps this is what makes adventures out of life. The bird had lived and by the same afternoon, the old bird died peacefully in the same window where I saw it last.

I am learning that beings do not truly die because nothing ever truly dies. When you listen in the quiet of the mornings, in spaces where trees stand tall and their leaves dancing to the gentle morning breeze, you can hear the same song that lived in the old bird's heart: a thunderous joy!

It was magic to have witnessed the miracle of life and its cycles. I am always humbled by the littlest of beings. 🙏 Thank you, old bird, my friend.

*So many animals have called me Strange Girl. I'll take it! 🤷🏽‍♀️