Funchal, Madeira -
“The seagull's flight of soaring high. The gift of what it means to fly.” This Munda verse captures the moment as we are hypnotized watching gulls and other winged wonders soar among the cliffs here on Madeira’s rugged coastline.
The columnist Enuma Okoro wrote of “the call of the birds” in a recent FT Weekend edition. Yes, they’re calling us all the time. The question is, are we present to hear their call in a world filled with so much stress and distraction?
I’ve chosen to become more attentive to the gift of birds in recent years. Okoro uses art to consider certain topics, such as birds and what they teach us. Drawing inspiration from the paintings “The Concourse of the Birds” (c1600, Habiballah) or “The Goldfinch” (1654, Fabritius), she writes that “with their ability to fly and proximity to the heavens, birds have been viewed by people across cultures and over time as messengers bearing vital information, assistance, or solace.”
The message I receive is to take time out, hear the call, and soar with the avians to magical and metaphorical places. The journey is worthy in and of itself. The fact that it helps us creatively, emotionally, mentally, and in terms of the quality of work and life is even more rewarding.
Listen, carefully. Watch, closely. That’s wisdom calling.
Image courtesy of Quark.