I'm sitting by the back windows as the storm clouds roll in.
A single robin hops out from behind the tree. The eggs hatched and now there are a bunch of little ones with eyes shut and beaks to the sky in the nest by my front door. Even when I'm not home, I've been seeing a lot of robins lately. And why are they always on the ground, running around like this is the Looney Tunes?
I pull my laptop closer and sit up a little straighter before I dive into Google. People still use Google, right? I know I'm a millennial, but have I also become an "old?"
Whatever.
Today I learned that robins are often associated with signs of hope, renewal, and new beginnings. Huh. It's apparently a good omen for them to nest at your house, and they're thought to be messengers from those we've lost.
Oh, uh, interesting...
A blue blob flutters directly in front of me and lands in the tree above the robin. Shit. I'm thinking I'm about to witness a fight. Instead, they seem to just be coexisting without any interest in the other. Google's telling me how blue jays are known to symbolize communication, loyalty, and intelligence. So I'm picturing the sunroom at my grandparent's house on my dad's side. They had a back deck that led down to a pool surrounded by trees. My grandmother loved the birds and made sure the feeders outside the window were always stocked. Well, she'd tell my grandfather to do it. And, for her, he would.
A smile flashes across my face, and another flutter brings me back. There's a new addition to the tree. It's as if the universe was trying to realllly get my attention today. This one's a woodpecker. By now, even Google's expecting me to check. So I do. Woodpeckers represent persistence, resourcefulness, and attunement.
um.
wow...
All of us are just sort of hanging out now. Even Ava can tell something's up. She doesn't bark, but her head's cocked to the side in stereotypical dog fashion. So I'm just sitting there, nodding silently to myself.
This is weird but... fitting?
It's like everything's coming together.
Bird by bird.
Do you look for signs from the universe? Do they find you anyway?
onward.
For more on this daily column and The MAP Year Project, read the backstory here. And if you know someone who'd appreciate this, pass it along.