A Bird in the Hand by Gloria Guest

It was a magical moment; after some patience and a lot of standing still as a statue with outstretched arm, a small bird had landed on my hand to enthusiastically peck at the birdseed I held. So light that I couldn’t really feel it except for its beak pecking away at the seeds and its tiny claws poking into my skin. I held my breath lest it would fly away. Eventually it did of course as all fragile moments do.

This month's theme What is in your hand? brought back my little bird experience. The saying goes, ‘A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush’ and I’d have to agree. I could never have experienced the uniqueness of that bird if it hadn’t been so willing to alight on my hand. It made me realize how often I’ve searched for ‘birds in the bush’ in my writing endeavours rather than taking the disciplined route of being still, quieting my soul to let an idea alight and then be still further, to take in all the moment has to offer, long enough to not let it take flight before the idea has been nourished in my mind.

Searching around for other ‘birds’ by comparing myself to others or not being willing to focus on what is in front of me has taken away from my writing.

That little bird reminds me that life is fragile and fleeting and when a creative, beautiful, unique idea alights on my hand, I need to protect and nourish its presence, letting it become all it needs to be before I finally release it into the world.

In contemplating this I realize that a few ‘birds’ are in my hand today that I can make space for:

I belong to a small writers group that offers camaraderie, encouragement and accountability. To this I need to show up for and grow.

I have re-committed to writing for the monthly Inscribe blog; this serves as seed by the way of discipline and opportunity to share my voice however small that may be.

I have a devotional project in the works which will include both past and future writing; I need to be patient and present and enjoy the process, rather than chase it off with discouragement as I’ve done with some other longer term writing projects.

 
Thank you to Inscribe Christian Writers Group for the renewed opportunity to blog on this page and for all you do to inspire and encourage many writers, including myself.

Gloria Guest blogs and writes from a small prairie town in southern Saskatchewan. Her writing aims to bring hope and healing. Her published work includes newspaper articles, fiction and poetry. Currently she is writing creative non-fiction/memoir and devotional.