joy

The Sweet Stuff of Life

The hummingbird is symbolic of joy—living on nectar and searching for the sweetness of life. —Jamie Sams

Walela forages for food more frequently now, to feed her growing babies. When she approaches the nest again, her tiny wings shimmer and stir the air. Sensing her presence, her hatchlings lift their heads and open their beaks.

P1080884

Mama Hummingbirds feed her hatchlings anywhere from 4-6 times per hour, but it happens very quickly. Because I was standing on the porch at the just-right moment, I was able to captured their fast food dinner on video.

So tell me: Have you ever seen anything sweeter than this?

*The first hatchling was born on January 29th, and the second baby was born on January 31st. So they are 5 and 7 days old, respectively. (Earlier pictures here.)

Flights of Fancy, Wings of Joy

“Walela” (Wah-ley-lah) is the Cherokee name for hummingbird.

There is something inside the soul of all of us that wants to soar through sunbeams, then dance midair in a delicate mist, then take a simple bath on a leaf. There is something in our souls that wants to hover at beautiful moments in our lives, making them freeze in time. There is something in us that wants to fly backwards and savor once more the beautiful past. Some of us are just hummingbird people. — Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews

Meet Walela, the Allen’s Hummingbird mama who’s taken up residence in the fuchsia bush beside my front door.

She’s sheltering two hatchlings in her feather-soft nest.

P1080546

P1080657

P1080773

And no small measure of joy.

Offerings

I’ve been unsettled by a recent Nancy Drew discovery. Over Tuesday lunch, my writing buddies offered compassion and sage advice, which brightened my mood considerably. I wrote all afternoon, buoyed by their support and inspired by their wisdom. 

But when night fell, the darkness decended again. 

I gathered up my art supplies, in hopes that creative journaling would help calm my inner chaos. Pens, gesso, watercolors…I scattered them on the table. I flipped through an old issue of L.A. Yoga Journal, searching for soothing words and images. In doing so, I discovered a poem I’d previously overlooked.

You are stunned, powerless.
You thought you knew
What was going on.
Now you realize
You don’t have a clue.
You are stopped in your tracks.
Everything within your skin is shaking.

Enter this shaking.
Right here, in the midst of commotion –
Get curious, look around inside with wonder.
Unmind your mind.
All the walls have fallen down.
Go ahead and dissolve.

The One Who Has Always Been,
Who has seen much worse than this,
Is still here.
             ~Sutra 89 of The Radiance Sutras

The poem cradled my spirit, helped ease me into a peaceful sleep.

Fresh coffee in hand, I greeted the new day in my garden. Fog swirled around the rosebushes, swaddling the citrus trees like a gauzy blanket. "Soften your gaze," it seemed to say, "find your peace within." 

As the sun kissed the morning, my backyard was filled with the fresh scent of citrus blossoms.

And when the fog cleared, a tiny rose blossom appeared. The first of the season–the harbinger of many–she lifted her sweet Angel Face to the endless blue sky.

As promised, Joy cometh in the morning.

Joy in the Morning

We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.
~Joseph Campbell

  

In 2009, ’twas Grace that led me up the highest peaks, that guided me through the narrows. And for this upcoming year, I’m choosing JOY as my traveling companion. I’ll try to approach each moment as "the observer," with an open mind and grateful heart. And even when I’m traversing life’s darkest passageways, I’ll look for a sliver of sunlight in which to dance. 

Maya Angelou said, "When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness…all good things."  This, then, is also my New Year’s wish for you: a life richly blessed by an abundance of JOY.

  Site Meter