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November 12, 2007
Hummer Lessons
I have been adopted by an Anna's hummingbird. Anna's stay for the winter around here and once you begin feeding them, you've launched into a winter long commitment. That means keeping the feeder clean and filled. For our frosty nights, I bring the feeder in after his final dusk supper and rehang it early in the morning for his dawn feeding.
I'm leaving town tomorrow so, instead of packing or giving my talks the final once over, I scrubbed out the feeder. While I had it down, "my" hummer came to eat. He couldn't believe his little eyes: no feeder. He flew to the exact spot where his favorite fake blossom generally hangs. It wasn't there. In disbelief, he helicoptered up and around.
I scrubbed faster, believe you me! After I rehung the feeder, I thought about how much Mr. Hummer and I have in common. Every time he comes to the feeder, he comes in faith it will be there. And, when it's not, he persists in looking for it, even when it means checking things out from a different perspective.
I am like that every day I sit down to my writing. I show up, wholly trusting that the words will come when I sidle up to my computer. And, when they don't, I keep at it -- sometimes simply hovering over the page until one by one, letters and then words emerge. When the story is as elusive to me as the feeder was this morning to my tiny friend, I try looking at it from another perspective. I don't move as gracefully as my hummer, but I go for a walk, do a little research, ask myself "what if?" -- whatever it takes to come back to my writing renewed and refreshed.
I just love having such a petite but powerful teacher. And right outside my own kitchen window.
Posted by kirby at November 12, 2007 09:06 AM