Birds of a Feather

As I rest under a tree by the waters edge, I watch with awe a variety of birds freely living their lives. Before me, a blue heron slowly stalks his froggy pray. A red-headed woodpecker bashes his face into the tree above to get a tasty squirmy snack. An osprey plummets her body from 100 ft. above to snatch a cat fish, flying off with her prize in her talons. Blue jays are squawking at the crow that’s been circling their egg-filled nests. And as I take stock of the sights before me, an idea flies into my head.

No one in their right mind judges a hummingbird for drinking nectar rather than diving for a fish. No one expects a penguin to fly across the Arctic Sea. No one demands a pelican sing a nightingale’s tune. Yes, they’re all birds but they are uniquely adapted to thrive in their environments. Some soar. Some swim. Some run and scratch the soil all day long. But there is no bird that’s better than the other. Their bodies, their minds, their behaviors perfectly evolved to meet their needs and balance the needs of the Earth. 

It’s fascinating that we’re able to understand this when it comes to birds, but it when it comes to our fellow human beings, we often expect them to fly the same path we do. I know humans are more closely related to one another than the 10,000+ birds species. But we do come with a variety of abilities and brains, shapes, sizes, perspectives. And those varieties lead us to sing our own special songs, build our unique nests and communities, move about the world, going after our meals and mates in our own ways. This variety helps balance the world, just as the birds do.

Despite this fact, some humans get seen as higher value for the way they fly. We haven’t all evolved to be business execs or doctors or lawyers or politicians. We’re not all born to be supermodels or celebrities. We need all types. And we all bring value. And as Earthlings, we all deserve the right to thrive in this world and have access to the same resources.

Rather than clipping each other’s wings or caging ourselves and others into a space we don’t belong, my hope is that we encourage each other to flock in the direction our hearts call us to and appreciate each other with the same awe and wonder we give to our feathered friends.