They're Baaaack!!

All I wanted to do today was/is sleep.  I. Am. Tired.  There, I said it.  I got up to send my daughter off to school this morning, sat at the computer to contemplate editing some pictures and quickly decided to just go back to bed.  I called the vet and asked if they had a later appointment for today (in hopes that they didn't and I could cancel today's appointment altogether).  No problem, they did.  I tried out the several different "comfort" positions to see which would elicit the quickest slumber, and two hours and forty five minutes later I woke up. I didn't really want to get up then either, but the humiliation of calling the vet again eventually spurred me onto my feet..

Of course the first thing I do when I wake up is stumble into the kitchen for my daily vitamins.  While stumbling that direction I caught sight of something outside.  SomethingSSS outside.  Under the back patio fluttering all around were a couple of birds.  I have a hard time seeing right after waking up in the morning.  So at first glance...robins.  But as they continued to fly back and forth out from under the patio their wings would catch the sunlight and the familiar hues of blue would appear.  The Bluebirds are back today!

And back they were.  I walked into the living room which is completely visible by the entire south side wall of windows, where one of the bluebirds had flown back under the patio and landed on the light fixture next to the back door and right by where I stood inside.  He (she?) looked at me as if to say, "ahem....you haven't been keeping up with our care you know.  It's about to get darned cold and we've got several friends and family and for some reason you expect us to cram ourselves into the one and only house you have prepared appropriately for our stay. Would you mind getting your butt in gear, getting out here and getting that other house closed up, some fresh water added and the feeders filled.  Oh, and by the way...thanks for making an appearance today".  Yep--I guarantee you if that bird could have talked that's what it would have said.

Now the only person who may "get" this without thinking I've lost my marbles is a newfound friend we affectionately refer to as The Birdlady, Marla Bender.  She WILL get this.

I felt a little guilty standing there all messed up and ill-prepared to leap into action on behalf of my guests.  But I did scurry outside to the worm box, brought them in, sifted out a good amount and went outside in the back and sprinkled these well-loved bird treats about the edge of the patio while calling out for my fair weather friends as our Birdlady friend had previously suggested.  Had it not been for my bright aqua flannel snowflake pajamas I would have also, at that very moment, gone out and shut "their" birdhouse that is in the front.  But that was a bit much for me to risk with my neighbors.

Got me to thinking though---a.  how nice that I got to sleep so much this morning--I think I really needed it. b. I find it just a bit ironic that I didn't want to get up and yet, it felt like I was just in the nick of time to see the needs of one of God's creatures, almost as if planned, and c. I wonder what else I missed during that extra sleep?  Just a little longer and I wouldn't have seen the birds that I have been obsessing over and that have been mysteriously MIA lately.

Which leads me to the point---not so much about multiple bluebird sightings, although that is something I can get quite excited about, but more about time and the use of it.  It's clear we all need rest.  Some more than others.  What I find frustrating now is that each day I wake up and think to myself--wow, this day is going to be over before I know it.  Get up & get going, stat!!  There is so much I want to do.  So much I want to accomplish.  Most of the time I feel like I just can't get it all crammed in to a single day or week or month and why?  Well, in today's case the "why" was that I really needed rest.  But I really hate missing stuff too.  I hate enjoying things and not being able to find or make the time to participate in them.

So much to do, so little time--we've all heard that one.  And then all the sudden a bird, or a child or a friend or even a stranger calls out to us in a way that makes us stop and think about or reassess what we are filling our time with.  I know I could do much better.  I waste a ton of time.  I also wish there were just a few hours more in the day.  I contend that is why I used to be such a night owl--packed more into my day that way.  But my body can't do that quite like it used to, so I must readjust.

I am participating in a class on creativity and saw this quote which absolutely summed up how I want to feel now:

"Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life."

I guess at the end of today I can look back and see exactly which things were important for me...I hope the bluebirds enjoyed their tasty mealworms today and their warm house tomorrow.