One Determined Bird

Recently, we've been watching a determined bird. One morning we noticed a mama bird carrying dried grass and twigs into our neighbor's window sill; but after several seconds of balancing, the few pieces of scraggly nesting slid down the slippery vinyl into a pile in our driveway. At first it was fun to watch her making the nest. She would swoop so elegantly out of the sky with another piece of dried grass and work on her home so patiently one piece at a time. Then, after a few days of no results I started to get a little bit nervous every time I saw her working steadily away. What happens if she needs to lay her eggs and the nest is still in a pile in our driveway? After a few more days, I started to groan every time I saw her fly in with yet another piece of dry grass. "It's just not going to work there," I thought. "Don't waste your time, try another spot while you can!" Then one morning two weeks later, Nathan squealed that Mama Bird had finished her nest. Indeed, she was nuzzling in the last pieces of fuzz and fluff to the inside of her sturdy nest. Somehow, she had done it. We were all very excited and Nathan and Bea drew pictures of the completed nest.

Unfortunately, Mama Bird's nesting project had one more challenge to face. The next day, our neighbors noticed the nest in their window and took it down. We were pretty sad, but you can't blame them. A bird nest can be a little loud and messy for a window sill - they really seem better suited for a tree. While I was pretty discouraged for Mama Bird, I think she'll probably use that same determination to build a nest in another spot no matter how long it takes. I know I am a little higher on the evolutionary ladder than Mama Bird... and maybe my instinct to quit and try a new location or a new technique could be helpful... but there is still something admirable about Mama Bird's pure determination. I could probably stand to learn something from Mama Bird... maybe something about patience and endurance and being willing to work on a challenge in my own little nest and neighborhood for more than one day before I deem it impossible.