Here’s a lovely poem by Mary Oliver, reminding us that we don’t need an entire day of bird song, or sunshine to lift our spirits. Just being alive to the beauty of small moments is quite enough.

Every spring
I hear the thrush singing
in the glowing woods
he is only passing through.
His voice is deep,
then he lifts it until it seems
to fall from the sky.
I am thrilled.

I am grateful.

Then, by the end of morning,
he’s gone, nothing but silence
out of the tree
where he rested for a night.
And this I find acceptable.
Not enough is a poor life.
But too much is, well, too much.

From A Thousand Mornings, Poems by Mary Oliver
Published by Penguin Books 2013

Songs of the Summer Birds

It’s summer in full throttle, and most days are hot and sweaty. So I try to head to the forests to breathe a little easier and to catch sight of a wood thrush or goldfinch warbling in the shade of trees. As our body wilts in the harshness of the season, it’s good to keep the senses sharp by paying attention to the birds around, even if they themselves don’t want to be found. And on days when you wake up feeling the weight of the world on you, their melodic songs will help bring the feeling back.