A Gift from the Tree

I was standing in the kitchen (again) watching the great gusts of yesterday blow the trees about in the backyard when I saw something fall from the silver maple. Walking out to investigate, I discovered this empty nest. It is so delicate that it likely would not have survived being sniffed by the dog--or hopped on by one of the many resident bunnies. I love how the inside grasses are spiraled around. The middle section is woven, and the outside is a most wonderful array of twigs. What it would be to be able to sculpt like the birds!

heart feather

This feather is stuck in a small vase in the kitchen on a shelf above the sink. I am in the kitchen numerous times each day and never give it a second glance. Perhaps because it is summer and I have a different kind of time to notice things, or maybe because with a kitchen renovation project on the horizon I am more tuned in to the kitchen, today, I tuned in. And, I found a perfect heart on the end of that feather. When I was growing up I often heard the expression: 'Pretty is as pretty does'--this was only said at times when my prettiness was quite in question. Today, I am reframing that just slightly to 'Beauty is as beauty sees'. My mind is quick to assign labels to the objects in my line of sight--sink, vase, feather, kitchen, window. I want to practice seeing beyond the label to what is really present to be seen. For it is in those moments that a heart at the end of a feather is truly visible. Who knows where my eyes might take me if I can let go the labels and trust my vision.