We watched a hummingbird buzz around, then land on her nest.
A nest so small there is zero chance we would have seen it otherwise.
A tiny cup of lichen and probably dog hair woven together by spider webs,
soft and expandable to accommodate growing chicks.
A miracle, plain and simple.
And that’s before they fly 4000 miles to their breeding ground.
And then 4000 miles back!!
May I never be too distracted to miss such a marvel.
Too in my head to hear the hum and follow the sound.
Speed and efficiency are painfully over-rated in my culture.
The cost is simply not worth the price
if it means missing what is right in front of me.
If it means separation from a world Wild with wonders.
if it means tucking my head and not looking up.
Or not looking down to see the bee – busy as advertised—
flying from one brilliant yellow flower to another,
back legs thick with pollen held in place by nectar and long invisible hairs.
Our species, likewise, is a bundle of miracles,
though our minds can overwork, our signals can get crossed.
To assist in a crisis, we are taught to help people ground themselves,
to guide them back to their senses—
what do they see right now, smell, hear, feel?
What are five sounds they can identify?
What colors can they see?
The risks are high if we stray too far from stillness.
If we get swept away by false impressions of success,
or buried by thoughts recirculating and suffocating.
Today, now, so near to summer solstice,
promise yourself you’ll pause in the heat of a summer’s day
and quiet all that clamors for your attention.
Give yourself the gift of your senses.
Let the boundless miracles of the natural world
help you believe again in the goodness of this place
and recall how effortlessly your Wild soul belongs…
right here, alongside all the other breath-taking wonders.
