Inspirational Story: Song of the Little Bird
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There lived a little bird in the forest. It had been singing songs ever since it was born. It learned how to sing from papa bird, mama bird and all the other birds in the vicinity. It would sing everyday.
(A collage made out of printed transparent plastic with photoshopped details against a wooden background).
One day, while the little bird was singing on the branch of a tree, it got interrupted by the sound of a little boy. The little bird looked down. A boy was pointing at it with his finger and saying “what a sad haunting melody!”
The little bird was taken aback. At first, it felt that it did not appreciate the feedback. It thought that it had sung very well. It was even proud. But as the little bird started to reflect, it realized that the boy was pointing out something that it had missed previously. The boy’s observation was not about its vocal ability but about the song.
Indeed, the song that it had sung was a rather sad one. It was about the trials and tribulations of being a bird. It was a song that its parents, friends and neighbors had been singing. Now, every bird in the forest had been chirping the same chorus every day.
The little bird felt a disconnect.
“This song is not about me,” it thought.
“Am I about misery, worry and failure?”
“I want to write and sing my own song.”
“A song that will reflect my truth.”
“A song that will reflect who I am.”
So the little bird decided to do things differently. It started with some chirps here and there. Then it became practicing over and over again the same lines.
Obviously, it was not easy trying to be different. All the other birds thought that it had gone mad. They tried to dissuade the bird, “….but we have been singing the same song for centuries!!!”
Papa bird and mama bird shook their heads sadly. Clearly they could not understand the inner motivations of their little child.
To get away from all the distractions, the little bird decided to move its nest a little further away. It wanted to practice in peace. And that was what it did. It exiled itself to the wilderness of its undiscovered self. While the little bird felt lonely at times, it felt driven on its path to sing something of its own.
Finally, the little bird thought that it was ready. It knew that the song was not perfect, but perfection was not what it was looking for. It also knew that while the first song was rehearsed, there will come a day when singing from within would come spontaneously and naturally.
So the little bird flew to a tall and majestic looking tree. It tried to get started. But no hum or note came out. For a moment, the little bird thought that it had lost its voice. It felt embarrassed.
Then, the little bird decided to gain its composure. It steadied itself. It understood that it was less about the song. The courage to sing that was far more crucial.
Soon, the little bird got over its initial anxiety. It found itself singing on and on. The little bird sang from its heart: The joy of flight. The wonders of the open sky. The view from the top. The magnificence of Mother Earth.
A New Day Begins…
And as it sang, all the other birds gathered round.
They listened intently.
For a minute or two, there was no movement in the forest.
Even the breeze stood still for not a single leaf on the trees rustled.
Every creature – not just the birds – drew in their breaths.
They stood enraptured.
The singing was beautiful in the song’s meaning.
In essence, the little bird was singing about the greatness of being a little bird.
Soon, the other birds caught on.
Each in their own voice.
A harmonious blend of music gradually filled the crisp air, enveloping the forest in the warm embrace of a beautiful dawn. A new day has begun!
Author’s Note
I am this bird;
I want to sing my own song.
I want to live my dreams;
Dreams that reflect who I am.
Like the little bird, I will be taking a break to “go into the wilderness”. Do wish me luck!! I should be back in a couple of weeks. Take care in the meantime!
“We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness, which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world.”
~ Marcel Proust (1871-1922), French novelist
Abundance Always,
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Evelyn Reply:
September 3rd, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Hello Daphne,
Apologies for the late response. Was flying away somewhere and got lost for a while…lol! In response to what you wrote, why not truly spreading your wings and take off somewhere? Who knows what you will find.
To exciting adventures,
Evelyn