I think you all know my obsession with yellow birds. When I see them, I smile. They’re so beautiful, and they always remind me that all is right with the world. I don’t know exactly why, but they do.
The challenge is, I hadn’t seen any in a while. There used to be a nest of them across the street, so every now and then I’d see at least one fly past. Last year I think the nest was gone, but still they would find a way to cross my path. Each time I felt my entire being relax and feel more sure – that I was on target, that life was good, that everything was as it should be. I put a lot of meaning into my yellow birds.
This year the nest seemed to be gone again, and on top of that they stopped showing up randomly. I began to twist the good feeling I got from yellow birds into a silly dread. “If seeing them means that things are good, does not seeing them have a negative connotation?” Even I knew how outrageous that question was, and yet at times it would pop into my thoughts.
Each time it appeared I would give it about thirty seconds of consideration, then ten seconds of realizing the absurdity. After that I would actively make myself focus on knowing that things were fine, with or without my yellow birds. But I missed them. They are so beautiful, and they do make me smile.
I even told my daughter how I missed my yellow birds. “You have to let them go,” she said. “Stop looking for, and needing to see, yellow birds.”
I took her words to heart. The other morning I sat outside for my quiet time, which is when I used to see yellow birds (and can be when I, intentionally or not, still look for them). I saw a baby bunny rabbit loping across our lawn. I decided that I could look for and enjoy bunny rabbits instead, since there seemed to be more of them. Sure, yellow birds would always be my favorite, but bunny rabbits can be a cause to smile as well.
Later that morning I took a yoga class. As I left the studio, I heard a noise in a large bush in the parking lot, so I turned to look. The bush was beautifully awash with purple flowers. It also had a yellow bird in it. A yellow bird that seemed to pause for a moment and then flew across my path. Needless to say, I smiled. Then a second yellow bird flew from the bush across my path. I smiled again. Finally I noticed a third yellow bird sitting in the bush. This one seemed to (in my imagination at least) sit on the branch for just a bit longer than necessary, so that I couldn’t miss it. Then it flew across my path.
Is there meaning in this? I could easily make up tons of meaning, tons of messages the universe was trying to send me. They all may or may not be true. What I know is this. I still love seeing my yellow birds, and I will most likely always take them as a message – a reminder to relax, smile, and enjoy the world. Especially when I see three at one time, and they’re flying slowly so that I can enjoy them. I will keep looking for my yellow birds, rejoicing when I see them, knowing it’s okay if I don’t see them, and remembering it’s not a sign of disconnect when they’re not around. I will also enjoy my bunny rabbits…and for that matter anything I can find to bring a smile to my face. Life is too short and too special not to notice these things.
But I do love my yellow birds. And I did love seeing three in one go.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!
