The older I get, the more I realize the power I have to keep myself feeling happy despite what is going on around me. Yes, with seeing alarming stories on the news, feeling the hostility of narcissists around us, combined with the challenges of trying to accomplish everyday tasks, not to mention living in the Covid pandemic, it’s easy to feel frustrated, hurt, not good enough, hopeless, or down right sad. So when our civilized existence isn’t enough, is it possible to find strength, clarity, and happiness from the uncivilized world? I find the answer to be absolutely YES!
Recently, in late afternoon one day, during a moment of quiet reflection, I glanced out the window of my craft room on the second floor of my house in small town Batavia, Ohio, only to see a huge bird flying straight across in front of my window. At first I thought it was a hawk, but noticed its head was white, and realized in a flash that it was an eagle.
I dropped what I was doing, dashed down the stairs, and ran out the back door, finding him sitting on a branch of a large walnut tree in my backyard, where he stood out clearly on the bare winter branch. My heart swelled with joy as I stared at him, taking multiple photos with my phone as others joined me, having spotted him from the road.
He sat there quietly and calmly as he stared in one direction, then turned his head to another direction. After a few minutes, he flew across the street, and sat on a branch in another large tree, and a crowd gathered around. He sat there for a long time, simply and peacefully, looking this way and the other way. We could not believe our eyes! The last time an eagle had been spotted in Batavia several years prior, it made the front page of the local paper. So not only had an eagle come to Batavia again, it came to my tree, flying in front of my window just as I looked up. I felt deeply honored, joyful, and felt this visit from this amazing symbol of strength, courage, truth, power and wisdom, was meant for me. I felt it was a great sign of hope and connection with the universe useful to me if I knew how to use it.
As the days passed, I couldn’t help but think about the eagle, looking for him whenever I walked outside. What did it mean, I wondered? How do I use the gift of his visit?
About a week later I found myself feeling upset about a conversation I had with someone where I left rejected and misunderstood, and fearful and confused on how to communicate further with them in order to resolve the issue. I powered through my yoga routine, and after a minute, I thought about the eagle. I asked myself what the eagle was trying to show me, and realized that as he flies high, the highest flying of all, he was inviting me to view the situation from a new perspective, high above my world, in the big picture of things. His ability to fly so high was a symbol of connection to the highest divine truths of existence, so I should imagine my situation in that way. Doing this, I could see the big picture and realized I was a beloved part of the universe, and therefore the only one rejecting me, was me, and I had the power to change this. As I let go of my negative belief, I was able to think of an honest way to communicate further with the person, and the situation ended in a loving way.
This was my gift from the eagle, my new-found ability to see the big picture, and imagine being loved when I am feeling my most unloved. This is what happens when an unexpected creature crosses our path, giving us a wink and nod that we are being watched and cared for by a power greater than ourselves, saving us from the negativity that we bring upon ourselves.
Strangely I find myself writing less these days, but felt the need to tell this story. Life is full of paradoxes it seems, like the more valuable wisdom we have to share, the calmer and more peaceful we become, accepting life as it is in the big picture, the less we feel the need to talk about it.
Namaste.
