Sunday, January 8, 2012

Craning my neck to see my future

sdakotabirds.com
Yesterday morning, I heard a raucus noise coming from outside.  I ran outside and looked up to see a large flock of Sandhill cranes migrating south right over our house.  It was loud, graceful and beautiful.  One group of birds briefly turned west, but quickly made a cloverleaf and joined their counterparts flying south.

I've seen these birds before.  Every year in late fall early winter, they fly right over out house on their trip to warmer climes.  It's breathtaking.  One year there were thousands!  It took a full 10 minutes for them to all fly over the house, all of them trilling, creaking, purring their unique and notable high-pitched calls to each other.

I was struck by the confidence in which they know where they are going.  I am aware that these birds have a kind of compass of sorts in their heads that help them find their way south, but how do they know when to go?  What exact path to take?  Why do they go every year?  Why can't I be that confident about MY life?

I'm working on that.  I'm hoping that this is the year that I change the way I look at the path my life is taking and MAKE things happen for me instead of letting things happen to me.  You know, a sense of adventure for my life.  I want to look forward to things such as travel and arrival on the beaches of Florida like these birds.  I want to pack my bags confidently and just GO on an adventure without worrying about being away from home, did I turn the stove off or did I lock the back door?  Crap!  I forgot my toothbrush!

I want to exude confidence like the sandhill crane.  Getting to that point will be the challenge.

As I write this, I'm sitting on the couch lamenting the loss of my last day of Christmas vacation and having to return to the classroom tomorrow.  Why should the last day of vacation signal the last day of  my perceived "freedom"?  Why do I dread the return to work?  My job is not giving me the satisfaction it once did, but why not think of tomorrow as a new opportunity for change?  I'm not sure.  I need to reprogram my thought processes, but that's very difficult.  It's so easy to get caught in a rut.

For now, I'll continue to look to the sky for my answers.  I've always thought that there is so much to learn from animals.  I think that they are wiser than us in so many ways and can teach us how to live.  I say this as Morgan, my cat, wakes up and yawns, repositions herself and then lays back down.  Maybe I just need more sleep.

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