Gotta admit when I started Saturday Night Posts, I didn’t know that I’d have made it to 100 posts. 🙂
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? Lao Tzu.
Part of a much longer description of “The Masters”, from Chapter 15 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching.
The main point being Patience. I’ve totted it up, it seems that by the time we are able regain some real freedom from the lockdown, I will have spent more days at home this year, than days being free to move about. Not much of a record really.
So I am indeed waiting for the right action to arise by itself.
Tai Chi Pigeon, (a Spotted Dove) has been giving her own version of all this the past few weeks.
After much courting and mateship displays I thought that she would have been setting up a house for her precious young and already been sitting on eggs.
But, No.
She’s been sitting on the fence, literally, for the past few weeks.
Then yesterday morning the mud must have settled.
I want it to settle quickly, I want to be out and about in relative freedom.
Tai Chi pigeon on the other hand has simply has been waiting. Having the patience of her species to wait for the way to clear. She remained unmoving until the right action arose. Then, she began.
It is not a wonder to me that the ancient documents, like Lao Tzu’s, the parables of the Carpenter from Nazareth, Egyptian stories, the Original People’s of Australia and the Americas, the list is quite long, all make use of observations from their around.
The return of a bird, the blossoming of a tree, the melting of ice, or the flooding of a river, each in its own way are exemplars of waiting for the way to become clear.
Tai Chi pigeon had found her ideal nesting spot, under the eave of the next-door neighbour’s pergola. The rest of the morning was a frantic backwards and forwards with increasingly large sticks to complete her little home.
Not that they are noted for their nest building creativity. A few sticks, bundled up, and everybody sits and hangs on. 🙂
Last year it was the standard rose in the house across the road, then two failed attempts in a small ornamental tree, the branches of which were hardly strong enough to support the dove’s weight, let along withstand the rigours of use and weather.
So while I wait feverishly the end of our lockdown, Tai Chi pigeon, has offered me another little lesson in waiting.
Because she is ready for whatever happens. Things don’t have to be just so… Things just have to be the way they are.
Birds as Poetry —— Just because I WANDER - --doesn't mean I'm LOST 
So true. And one thing the lock-down has taught us all is to wait, perhaps even to reassess. Certainly time to ponder life and where we want to be when the mud settles. And resting in the knowledge that new opportunities await.
I hope Mrs. S. has a successful nesting and you get to see the young ones. I have no idea where ‘ours’ are nesting but every year there are new little ones arrive.
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The more I work with birds as they raise their young, the more I at least grasp the concept of taking things as the way they are. No remorse, no long term planning just making the most of what is offered.
I think the virus, and the lockdown have as Viginia Tiolia wrote the other day, helped us sort out “the Crap from the Crucial”.
There is a pack of maurading ravens in the area at the moment, and they spend time checking out every likely nesting site. And bold as, they won’t be moved on.
Just have to see how she goes
Fortunately the next door neighbours don’t use the backyard much, so the birds are unlikely to be interrupted.
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Ah, bless! I am glad she has found the right time and place for her future family. I am just thankful that W and I can both go out together, twice a day, so that as well as walking the pooch, we have the chance for some photography. I am inspecting our 5 km circle around our home in search of other reserves we have not visited previously. We visited a little one today – nothing particularly exciting or unusual, but some birds and some wildflowers plus lovely trees. It’s good to be alive and finding some enjoyment in each day.
And congratulations on Post No 100!
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It is looking a bit more optimistic today I feel. I mostly complain to myself about the really beautiful weather that we are missing. If it was just raining all the time, I’d probably not feel so deprived.
We too have been exploring all the side streets in the area. Will blog to that this coming week
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PS Forgot to mention, you seem to be able to “Like” again. I got a message to say you had revisited. All good
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Well done, David. One hundred, and I really enjoyed this one, as always, your way with words. And that beautiful dove. What a year it’s been!
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Hi Derek, long time no hear. Hope you are well, if restricted in where you can go.
I have to say, I occassionally throught getting to 100 would be impossible.
Good luck
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Wise insights David, and beautifully portrayed. It is interesting how we each have our native Pigeons sent to encourage and share life gems with us. So glad things are improving for you guys, we have been in constant prayer for you both and for Victoria. Do hope you get out into the beautiful Spring sunshine soon. 🙂
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Hello Ashley, it is always interesting how some of the older documents show how the study of the around, helps uncover useful information for living now.
Thanks for your thoughts.
I’m hopeful that we will continue to drop the numbers, but also apprehensive that it can so easily run away from us again come end of October. We shall see.
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This is just to congratulate you (better late than too early) on your 100 Saturday Evening Post. It’s certainly been a pleasure and a privilege to follow your thoughts and your excellent photography.
Ever since I’ve got to know your Tai Chi Pigeon I’m looking with a second depth of thoughts on our Orlandos. This is how we call the Spotted Doves in our garden. Our neighbour next door feeds them with white bread so they come to our (so-called) lawn for more healthy tucker and to enjoy good soaking in birdbaths.
We are still waiting to be released with another two weeks two go. I hope (but I’m ready to be disappointed) that these are the last two weeks indeed.
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Thank you Adam, glad you’ve been able to stick it out through my sometime rambles.
They are just fun birds to watch, and as they are really local, it makes for some interesting story lines.
I think I am ready to be disappointed as well. Does not look good against the targeted numbers as of today.
Still they do seem to have them ‘contained’ at least people can be aware of the danger areas and take the appropriate action.
Remain
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