Little Joy

A small bird just fluttered up outside my window and clung to the screen. It peeked around - I'm sure it couldn't see me inside - hopped to a different place on the screen, and flew away. I feel a bit silly blogging about such a seemingly small, insignificant moment. But for those of my readers who can't read my mind, I wish I knew a way to accurately share the absolute delight I had as I watched that bird for the 10 seconds or so it was near me. I first noticed the bird when it flew up quickly - in my peripheral vision, it was a bit bigger than a bug, and it had come awfully close. When I glanced up and saw a bird, my breath caught in my throat.

Everyone says what they want to about animals in general - some might say that birds are dirty, disease ridden, or mean. I suppose some, perhaps all birds fit in these categories. And I am not an "animal person" - not necessarily. I don't need to surround myself with them all the time - they admittedly smell funny and are a bit of a nuisance at times.

But animals are one of those things in life that open my eyes to the majesty and unfathomable-ness of LIFE. I rarely see a bird as closely as I just did. It was less than 5 feet away from me, right outside my window. And the 10 seconds it graciously gave to me gave me the opportunity to be amazed. Amazed at the construction of a bird's body. Amazed at the strength in its tiny legs. Amazed at its ability to move - all of these things are completely foreign to me, and when placed directly in my vision, they draw me to awe more quickly than anything else in this world.