May: Leaving the Nest

Do not fear to leave the nest,
Though warm and dear, it's for the best.

You have wings to leave your tree,
To fly up high into the sky.
There is so much for you to see,
For you to learn, to grow, to try.

Soar on high, now that you've grown,
True to yourself, no longer child,
Without fear into the unknown,
High above the Earth, free and wild.

Do not fear your wings to spread,
Face unafraid your life ahead. 

​-MW

The Reluctant Fledgling
 
An osprey laid two eggs in her large nest atop the crane. One egg hatched first. The baby bird craned its neck and squawked for food. The male osprey brought a fish to his mate. She tore it apart and fed pieces to her baby. The baby grew quickly.
A few days later, the second egg hatched. This baby was quieter and didn’t squawk when it craned its neck. The mother bird fed it after she fed its brother.
Days passed. In their warm nest, the baby birds squawked and ate. The male osprey kept watch from intruders and the female fed the babies and cleaned the nest. The nestlings grew quickly and soon they began to grow feathers. Now they pecked at the fish and tried to feed themselves. And they explored their large nest.
One day, the older bird, now a fledgling,  walked to the edge of the nest. He spread his new wings. The wind blowing through his feathers felt good. He flapped his wings a few times, then he walked back to the warm center of the nest. The younger osprey stayed in the nest. His wings were not yet ready to spread.
The older fledgling continued to exercise his wings. One day he flapped them and rose a bit in the air. This excited him. He also began to feed himself from the fish his father brought. The younger bird was content to stay in the nest and be fed.
Finally, one day, the older bird flapped his wings and took off. He flew over the port below, gliding on the wind currents, then he returned to his family. The younger bird watched. He crawled out of the nest and walked around. Then he opened his wings to the cool air, but he did not flap them.
A few days later, the older fledgling left the nest forever. Now his family could see him soaring over the bay, diving to catch fish and perching on a pole to eat them. His little brother watched but he didn’t venture out of the nest.  One day, the mother osprey nudged the little fledgling out of the nest. She flapped her wings, showing him how. He flapped his own wings a few times, then hopped back into the nest. The next day, his mother did the same. And the next, each time pushing him closer to the edge of the nest.
The fledgling flapped his wings but did not fly.
Then one day, as he stood at the edge of the nest, flapping his wings in imitation of his mother, a gust of wind came up and blew him out of the nest. Squawking, the fledgling flapped his wings to keep from falling down onto the hard pavement below. To his surprise, his wings carried him up into the air. He was flying!
The bird flew up into the sky. He glided on the air currents. He felt free! His brother came flying by, and swooped down as if to say, “See, I knew you could do it.” His mother glided around him.
When his mother flew back to the nest, the fledgling flew back too and  nestled under her He was glad to be back in the warm nest. But now he knew he could fly. And he knew that one day, he would fly off on his own into a new life. 

​-MW

An Aside

Hear and heed,
Look and see,
Think and do,
And night will follow
As surely the day.
Thou willst not then
Shortchange yourself.



Never Stop

If one is to keep on growing,
If one is to know oneself,
One must never cease to test
The limits of one's limited self.

Mind and body must keep evolving,
Horizons must keep on receding,
If one is to keep on growing,
If one is to know oneself,
And if one is to make a difference!



Wisdom

To think and then to act,
To act and then to think,
Is wisdom in a nutshell.



Try It

Every day its challenges has,
Too many all too frequently!
Not peeve, anguish, tears or anger,
But resolve, smile and equanimity
Will serve you best to get you by.
You can do it.
Try it!

-JM

A Bit of Wisdom from JM:

Each is what each chooses to be.

Change is life's sole constant.

Tomorrows are shaped by todays.

Personality and chance determine the dance.

To vacillate is to abdicate.



Píccola opines:

To rest in a nest is best. 

---