Rumination on murmuration
At the risk of sounding like I was sorted into House Birding, when I close my eyes and imagine a peaceful scene to decompress, I envision a murmuration of semipalmated sandpipers. I saw them IRL last week, gorging on the creatures exposed in the Bay of Fundy's mudflats at low tide and flying in formation, creating twists and ripples like a single organism. It was mesmerizing. I could have watched them for hours.
I learned that this species arrives after a 6-8 week breeding season spent in the Arctic and stays in the Bay of Fundy for a few weeks, spending most of their time eating (I can relate...the seafood is delectable). They double their weight, building enough stored fuel for a three-day, nonstop flight to South America.
It reminded me that each season requires something different of us. Sometimes we are out in the world, building up our strength; sometimes we have to trust that we have enough in the tank to find our way back home.
(For the record, the Midlife Sorting Hat placed me in House Strength Training, not Birding, Pickleball, Sourdough, or Mahjong...though I am Mahjong-curious.)
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