The Positive Thinking Diet

Hummingbirds are beautiful small creatures. According to Wikipedia, “They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm (3–5 in) range. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–90 times per second. They are also the only group of birds able to fly backwards.” They also have one of the highest metabolisms of any living creature and need to feed constantly in order to have enough energy to keep on going and keep fluttering their wings at a very high velocity.

I happen to live in an area that has a lot of blooming flowers with nectar – and thus attracts a lot of Hummingbirds. Whenever I see a Hummingbird, I am struck with wonder and admiration. They work so hard to flutter their wings and dart around from flower to flower. Their wings flutter so fast that they are almost invisible! Hummingbirds are simply one of nature’s coolest living things.

Because today was a beautiful sunny day, and the temperatures were in the mid-70′s, of course I opened my windows to let in the beautiful summer breeze while I was working away on my computer. The windows were open all day and everything was fine. Suddenly, I heard a strange noise and felt a presence. A tiny Hummingbird had flown through a window and into the room. It was flying around the ceiling, thinking that the way to get out was to fly up! But the way to get out was to fly down and back out through the window! Poor little Hummingbird didn’t know that. So he kept on flying around the room – always at the ceiling level. I don’t think I have ever been this close to a Hummingbird for an extended time. He was beautiful. Impressive. And totally out of his element. It’s so interesting to note that even though some creatures might be so strong and capable in their normal circumstances – that they can become so helpless when they face things that are unfamiliar.

Quite by accident, this little Hummingbird had entered into a new space that he didn’t understand. He was confused and scared and didn’t know what to do. Neither did I.

All I knew was that I wanted to help this little Hummingbird get back outside asap without getting hurt. So I opened all of the windows as much as I could. I closed the doors so the bird couldn’t get into the rest of the house. Not that he even tried – he kept so close to the ceiling. I tried to make it dark in the room and light near the windows so that maybe he’d be attracted to the light by the windows and fly out. None of that worked. So then I called my neighbor. He came over and had an idea. Get a big bowl and a lid or something to slide over the bowl and try to get the bird into the bowl, and then bring him outside to let him go. So I found my largest salad mixing bowl and a lid, and my neighbor brought over a ladder so he could get closer to the ceiling. He tried to catch the bird in the salad bowl for a few minutes, but the little birdie didn’t want to get near him. The bird just kept flying all over and around the room would always escape the salad bowl. So then I got a broom from the kitchen and tried to flap it around to persuade the Hummingbird to move closer to my neighbor. It certainly scared the bird. But after another few minutes with me fanning the bird towards my neighbor, we finally got him into the salad bowl. And less than a minute later, we released him back outside and he flew away rapidly! I also closed all the windows so he wouldn’t get back in again!

So what does this have to do with anything? Why is this “Hummingbird Incident” being mentioned in the context of The Positive Thinking Diet?

Well, there are always lessons to learn in every thing we choose to observe and think about for a bit. So here are some of my observations and lessons learned from the “Hummingbird Incident.”

1) Hummingbirds are really cool and wonderful little birds, and I am lucky enough to live where they live and observe them on a regular basis when they are in their element and being strong and impressive. I am grateful for the existence of Hummingbirds.

2) Most creatures on Earth, including humans, have developed certain skills and traits and habits that serve us well and help us to survive in our normal environments. And even though we are all very different from each other, we learn to use whatever we’ve got to best advantage. No matter how small or how large, or if you fly or if you walk or if you swim, or if you have a big brain or a small brain – everyone uses whatever they’ve got to the best of their abilities – to survive and hopefully prosper.

3) Occasionally, and usually accidentally, we end up facing unfamiliar circumstances that we are totally unprepared for. What do you do if you fall into the water and can’t swim, or you trip and fall and hit your head and can’t think straight, or you go to another country and your bus breaks down in a small town and you can’t speak their language – what do you do?

4) Well, you do the best you can. You decide that you’re going to figure out a way to get through it and to a better place. And you hope that others are around who might be sympathetic to your plight and want to help you. And you have trust the Universe that it will all be OK in the end.

5) It doesn’t help to panic or think that there is no way out. You have to keep on trying. And even if you are doing the wrong thing some of the time, at least you are doing something. You try something, and if that doesn’t work, you try something else. And in the case of the Hummingbird, who was doing the wrong thing by staying close to the ceiling instead of flyer lower to get out the window, at least the Hummingbird had me and my neighbor to guide him into a salad bowl so that he could be brought outside and released.

6) I might have given up too. I might have let the Hummingbird fly around until he was exhausted and died. But I kept on trying to help him. Some of the things we tried didn’t work. But we tried new things. And in the end, we did help him. And he’s fine. And we’re all fine.

All is well that ends well, and we have to believe that in the end – everything is going to be fine.

PTD