the lesson of a bird & her nest.

it’s not my birthday today. or any other special day, for that matter. but, perhaps that’s the point. it’s just a day. a regular day. however, is it really just a day? isn’t any & every day a gift? yeah… a day is a moment in time filled with wonder and awe. a chance to do amazing things, whether that means traveling to some exotic and beautiful place, or staying under the covers at home all day, or going to work to do the same thing you do every day. the point is… it’s a day. and you and i are alive. and breathing. and we have choices. we get to be the master of our days, our dreams, our life. we really do.

for the past week i have either been majorly sick myself, taking care of my wife being majorly sick (thanks to me), or quarantined in our home trying to rid ourselves of all the germs and contagiousness. today, we’d had enough. still a bit weak and tired, we decided that since the sun was shining, we’d make our way outside for a short little walk. we needed to feel the sun, to experience the warmth in the air. and it was a short trip outside, but it felt oh so good. not a grand, mind-blowing day in the eyes of many, but a grand, mind-blowing day nonetheless. any day can be extraordinary.

i didn’t remember that until yesterday, though. after spending the past few days inside, i made a conscious choice yesterday to make a change. i had gotten stuck in my head. but, i also let myself feel and think. i was tired of feeling sick and disconnected. yet, i wasn’t able to leave the apartment yet & begin life again. part of me didn’t really want to. still, i wanted to move on somehow. i needed to reconnect myself with myself. so, i grabbed my headphones, plugged in some music, and did some yoga. and i felt it. my soul. ahhhh… soon, i found myself having a hour long chat with my mom; and then, watching a beautiful bird as she patiently and diligently built her nest just to the right out my kitchen window. i locked eyes with this gentle creature a few times as she flew back up, carrying a stick in her beak. i pulled up a chair by the window and just sat there. i must have watched her for at least an hour. it was amazing. beautiful.

as i followed her every move in the process of nest-building, i was reminded of the beauty of each creature simply being who or what she/he is. and then, i got it. self-discovery is a wonderful (painstaking) process, but it is not one where we must figure out what is wrong with us and what we need to change (what i’ve been obsessing with lately). instead, it is an opportunity to listen to ourselves, to know ourselves as we are right now. it is simply spending time with ourselves and remembering that who we are, what we love, who we love, etc. and who we are right now is exactly who we are supposed to be. we are just fine as we are. we are enough. all we need to do is that which comes natural to us. all we need to be is ourselves. like the beautiful bird building her nest.

yep. my purpose in life is to simply be me. all the details will take care of themselves.

so, on this regular, ordinary day, i want to celebrate the amazingness of life, of being exactly who we were created to be, with you…. by sharing this video. watch it. listen. look. think. dream. be,

here’s to wishing you a great week ahead. embrace yourself and embrace this crazy, amazing life!

peace & love.