I lost all concentration then and studied the lifeless bird, willing him to get back up. During the hour he lay unconscious, I observed so many activities, and found many lessons to be learned from nature:

There is definitely a pecking order among the birds. The finches do their own thing and don’t bother anybody. But between the doves, the blue jays, and the woodpeckers it is clear who carries more weight. The woodpecker is the one bird that the jays can’t bully. Doves will generally defer to both the jays and the woodpeckers. But today I watched a dove stand up to a jay and not back down. It takes some extra courage and a strong will, but we can stand stronger and achieve what we’re after if we challenge the system a little. Just because that is the way it has always been, doesn’t mean that is the way it has to be! There are times when it is appropriate to respect the pecking order – otherwise known as the system. Learning when to stay within the system and when to step out is a balancing act. The dove probably said to itself, what is the worst that will happen if I challenge the system? I might get pecked, but then I might hit pay dirt! To move ahead in life, and to achieve certain goals, it helps to be willing to challenge the system. Ask what is the worst thing that can happen, and if you can live with that, be willing to venture forward. Einstein said that we cannot solve today’s problems at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. We need to be willing to challenge the norm, our routines, the way things have always been done in order to get different results.

I watched a beautiful Gross Beak mother feeding her baby. The mother left and the baby sat there for awhile bewildered and looking around somewhat confused. Finally, it moved closer to the bird feeder and tried to eat on its own. It picked up a few seeds that it couldn’t handle, and dropped those – but it did find some that it could eat on its own. This reminded me how we learn to do the unthinkable, one baby step at a time. It was frightening for a few minutes, but then the baby became more comfortable, and its confidence grew just a little more while the mother left it alone. Then the mother came back and the bird returned to fluttering its wings and opening its beak so the mother could feed it. We will often return to our comfort zone and not push our limits unless we are forced to in some way. Fortunately, the mother bird knows just how much to help the baby along until it can fend for itself. We also can achieve very difficult financial goals if we take it one baby step at a time, moving a littler further out of our comfort zone and developing our confidence with each new step taken.

Earlier in the season we watched and videotaped a woodpecker couple building a nest in a dead oak tree close to our deck. It took days of hard work and persistence – trading off and sharing the load. I have never observed such hard work required to make a home. For these birds, there was no questioning or indecision. It was what needed to be done. We have since observed how both the mother and father woodpecker take turns caring for the young in the nest while the other goes for food. What a beautiful example of working together to make everything flow as it should. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to observe the hard work and commitment required for birds to raise a family. If our families worked together in such a committed fashion, think of what we can accomplish!

I found it interesting that the birds continued to eat and carry on their normal activities even while it was raining. When it starts to rain, I immediately try to get out of the rain or use an umbrella to keep from getting wet. When financial worries and adversity hit, people often hide from them rather than sticking with it, and bearing some discomfort to get the job done. Avoidance won’t solve our financial problems, and if the birds didn’t stick with it during the rain, they would go hungry.

When the bird food is gone, the birds don’t wait around for us to feed them. They move right along to the neighbors houses and find a new source. We don’t feed the hummingbirds because their food attracts the wasps and yellow jackets. One will buzz by every once in awhile, and then quickly realize it is a finch feeder and move along. I also notice how the birds that are too large for the finch feeder don’t waste their time trying to get food from it – they go to our other feeder where they don’t have to try to fit the square peg in the round hole. What a simple example of not spinning your wheels or wasting valuable time and energy at a dried up waterhole. It’s key to know when it’s time to move on, look for another source that will be more profitable or beneficial, and not waste valuable time and energy on projects that won’t pay off. It is also important to know ourselves well enough to determine when we have outgrown a particular goal – something that might not fit with our life any longer. If the birds sit around waiting until we fill the feeder, they may starve to death. If we sit around waiting for our ship to come in, we will miss the boat altogether!

The sweet little finch that hit the window finally moved into a sitting up position after about an hour of laying on its side. I was so relieved and so thankful. It stayed there for another thirty minutes and then had the strength to fly away. I am in awe of nature and the lessons I learn when I take the time to observe.