Hello!
Thank you for joining me and reading my first blog. I’m looking forward to connecting with you and sharing our stories. In the future, I will discuss the process of everything it takes to write a magical adventure series, as well as other topics of interest.
I’d like for you to tell me your stories, too. Let’s start with an animal that means the most to you, like a favorite dog that’s your best friend, or a cat that sits in your lap and keeps you company. Perhaps a bird that is amazingly smart, or even a gerbil or hamster buddy. I’d love for you to tell me about them!
Now for my story about tiny, colorful birds that have always been special to me. A friend told me hummingbirds bring her good luck!
Hummingbirds have been coming into my life for many years. The first was a young bird whose mother built her nest too close to the walkway to my apartment. I could tell he was a boy because he just acted like one. He didn’t have any feathers yet. He was still covered with soft brown down when I first saw him, and I thought he needed help. Something I have learned is that parents keep an eye on their young even after they leave the nest, so it’s best to leave young birds alone. Anyway, in my zeal to help this little one, who would probably have been fine without me, I took him home and put him on a pocket of Kleenex in a small cup.
Every two hours, I mixed honey into some water and fed him with an eyedropper. I took him to work with me, put him in his new nest on top of a cabinet and fed him on schedule. The first days, I’d fill his craw with honey water, but he soon got the hang of it and drank on his own. After a while, he recognized me, and would stand up on his little legs and stretch out his neck for a meal. I held the eyedropper for him to suck out the nectar with his tongue.
He was doing well, and when his iridescent green feathers started coming in, I wondered how I was going to teach him to fly. His story was short, though, because I thought he’d like some sun, and one weekend I left him on the windowsill too long. I thought I was being kind, but I was wrong. His trust in me made the hurt even stronger, but he did teach me to be more careful with other birds and creatures who have come to me for help over the years.
The amazing thing about hummingbirds is they are fearless. If I get too close to their favorite flowers in my garden, they will dive-bomb me, whirring their wings in warning. Sometimes, one will fly right up, face me straight on, and look me in the eye, as though trying to figure out what kind of strange bird I am. Once a hummingbird flew up to greet me, as though it recognized me. I’m sure it was one of the little ones I saved before. Nearly every year, some young one will fly into our glass-covered entryway. When they are trapped against the slanted ceiling, I get out my tall stepladder and climb up to where I can reach them if they come down to my level. The amazing little birds will actually flutter to the lower edge of the glass, perch on the ledge, and wait for me (more or less) to cup them in my hands.
After I make my way down the ladder, I walk with them to the center of our cul de sac and softly warn them to stay away from buildings because they are dangerous. They aren’t afraid of me. They watch me talking to them, and they actually seem to be listening to my words. I feel so close to these trusting little creatures. Their trust warms my heart. When I open my hands, they usually sit for a moment if they’re tired, then take off fast, making a beeline for home.
Someone told me that when a person is curious, consistent, non-threatening, and patient enough, the usual boundaries between species can be erased. I believe this completely and have proven it to myself again and again. Try it, if you like. You will receive much more than you give.
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