There is so much learning in the space around .. learning that can come from every and any direction.

– Sometimes, when I happen to look in that direction, I see it coming and the learning is absorbed.

– Sometimes intuition makes me look in a direction to catch a learning.

– Sometimes, I see it happening but I am not in a state of mind to pick the learning up.

Many a sometimes.. and every time a learning..

Water bodies have an immense impact on me.. waterfall, fountain, lakes, beach, sea and the sound of waves, be it those which crash or those which gently roll..

I love being around her, I love watching her, I love hearing her and I love the peace, calm and thoughts she gives to me..

– She is what she is.. She doesn’t work on being nice to those who watch her; she leaves it to them to accept her for what she is and I love her for this. What a joy to be with her!!

– Makes me think that if she makes 70% of me, I am who I am.. I need to accept it; others accepting me for who I am or not, is left to them.

In a recent visit to a beach, what caught my eye left me mesmerised and got me to spontaneously hum the song. ‘I believe I can fly’. My mind went on its own journey, gave me perspectives; which gave me a meaning to what I saw and thought.

This bird is called the ‘Black Winged Stilt’. She flew in with another of her flock. When she flew in, she didn’t face the water but stood on the water receding sand, with her back to the water. Her stance was so bindaaz. It was a stance of “Here I am. Look at me, ye world. Water, hold on, I will look at you in a bit.”

It was as though she was saying, “I decide what I want to do.”

“Now that I have seen the world and the world has seen me, let me get to my job of doing what I need to eat – pick insects and small sea animals I can feed on.”

It has always been my thought that we shouldn’t speak about our work but our work should speak about us. Of late, it is also a view I have that we also need to speak about our work. The world will see us. The black winged stilt seemed to echo the recent view of mine!!

“A wave approching? No problem. I believe I can fly. My legs may get drawn into water but I can propel myself with my wings, to fly. Oh wait!! I can’t stop my work of finding food, just because the wave is coming close and crashing near me. Let her do her job and I will do mine. I believe I can fly.”

“I believe I can fly but I also know that when the water goes right above my webbed feet, though she is gentle, I can lose my balance. I have it in my instinctive power to change my position. That change in my position will help me to balance myself.  I wait for the water to recede, giving me the freedom to pick my food and / or fly, as apt.”

“Now that the challenge of being unstable has passed, let me face life headlong to see what’s coming my way. At the same time, let me balance my footing so that I work on getting what I need to get. While I wait to gain my balance, let me admire the huge expanse of water.  I believe I can fly, whether I am unstable or in balance. That’s the power given to me, given in the form of my wings.”

“Such is life, isn’t it? While I am figuring out how to stand and find food in this receding water, I may appear unaware of the oncoming small and big battles called waves; but I am very well aware and I believe I can fly when I become unstable or when I think there is an impeding instability. That belief supercedes all thoughts, known and unknown. That  belief is the reason why I appear nonchalant.”

“If you watch me very carefully, Whether I stand on the receding waters on the sand or on the water iself, I am treading lightly on it. My legs are slender but not weak. My feet are grounded but treads lightly. When the water recedes, I can choose to fly away or I continue to stay. The choice is mine because I believe I can fly.”

“When I am one with my universe which is the water, I am aware of what I am doing, what I can do  and more importantly what I am. I blend myself and yet retain my identity. I seem to be being taken in the flow and yet I appear to be making my own steps. Hard to separate the two. But, but, but.. When I am not in the flow, I believe I can fly for a while and when the time comes, I can once again be in the flow. Survival, my friend makes me change with time!! Such is life!!”

 

 

 

 

Nature is such a huge influencer and teacher. Looking at this black winged stilt standing in water and the water receding sand, I was tempted to try what she was doing, with the thought that ‘I believe I can move’.

Water comes and water goes. I have the ground beneath my feet and when I feel grounded, I am stable. When I feel that the ground beneath my feet is moving, I know that I have the power to step back or forward or sideways or diagonally because I believe I can move. This belief gives me wings to fly, in the vast expanse of space around me, empowering me to face life headlong.

“I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky.”