Yesterday I was in our little laundry room switching a load from the washer to the dryer when something caught my eye through the window.
It was a bird. Hopping a few “steps” at the time up the tree just a few feet away from the window. I stopped to watch. I saw the red crest on his head, and I knew he was a special one.
A woodpecker.
He would hop, and then stop and peck. He’d tilt his head back, looking at the tree, and then up a few more steps. He’d try it again, cock his little head, stare for a minute and then move on. He did this over and over until he reached a spot about two feet from where I’d first seen him. He tapped with his beak, leaned back, tapped again, and then he went at it full force. Over and over and over, pecking at that one spot on the tree.
You know, doing what woodpeckers do best.
After I called the littles in to watch, and we all moved on to our own “what comes next,” I started thinking about the tenacity of that little bird.
He kept on moving, he didn’t waste time and energy and his talent and gift on the parts of the tree that weren’t just right. He kept on until he found that sweet spot. The spot where he could shine and his efforts could be the most effective.
You go, little bird.
There’s a lesson in that, right? One I needed this week. But then I am quite sure it was no coincidence that the little bird and I happened to meet at that tree outside that window at that exact moment. Sometimes the Creator gets mighty creative in trying to get a message across to me. (I can be a little hard-headed, but that’s a story for another time.)
Tonight I’m thankful for the reminder to keep on moving, to find the right place to share what gifts I’ve been given–the right thing to pour myself into.
Imagine how tired that little bird would have been if he hadn’t waited to hit just the right spot. What if he had stopped a foot lower? Or below that? All that effort. To no avail. Only to end up exhausted.
May we all have the drive to keep on pushing until we find right where we are supposed to be, and may we have the heart to give it our all when we get there, so that we too can make our mark on the world.
Keep on pecking folks, we make things better when we find where we belong and let our light shine there.
Love to all.
I Might Need A Nap 