Recently I had a surprise in the hallway of our apartment building—I came upon a sweet little brown bird sitting outside our apartment on one of the steps leading up to the roof. He was so incredibly still, perched right up against the back of the step, fearfully trying his best to be invisible. He had probably gotten in from the ground-floor door to the courtyard which is often left open.
I stood still as well, opening my heart to him to let him know I was friendly and only wanted to help. I tiptoed past him down the steps to the landing and opened the window. On the way back to my apartment, I told him I had just opened his exit route, and went inside to do my morning meditation.
It took me a significant amount of time to calm down. Once I sat down, I found myself nervous and scared for the bird, fully feeling his disorientation and fear. I pulled out all my tools (breathing, chanting, Chakra-color visualization) until finally I felt clear and in balance enough to connect in with him and tell him again about the open window. At the end of my meditation, I saw a visual of wings flapping and knew he’d made his escape. I quietly opened my apartment door to look, and sure enough, there was no bird in the hallway. Just to make sure, I checked the other floors and happily did not find him.
It reminded me that a year ago this week, I had awoken to find my two cats chasing a mouse in our living room. After marathon-stalking the mouse as he hid under a bookcase, Calla and Faro eventually tired out and went to the bedroom to nap. That day I sat down and worked to get myself calm and open. I was very worried about the mouse and had to move past it. When I intuitively reached out to him, I held loving, calm energy and told him I had the cats in the bedroom and now was his chance to retreat safely—that I had his back. The next thing I knew, I heard the paper on the floor outside the living room gently rustle (it’s there for the cats to play in), and I knew the mouse was making his way back from where he came. He had left unscathed.
A few years ago when I rode an extremely rocky, steep trail ride in the rain forest of Costa Rica, Cosmo the horse kept telling me to go into my heart and feel the joy, connect with his energy, and stay present with my outrageously beautiful surroundings. I’d get scared, then I’d do what he said and feel amazing. Cosmo waited until the very end of the hours-long ride to gallop, because he knew at that point I’d connected with his vibration, my heart, and the rain forest and was ready to fly. It was exhilarating to go with the flow on his back and the freedom of surrender, knowing I was taken care of the whole time.
When birds fly, they trust the air currents to carry them. The can even relax and soar high up in the clouds without flapping their wings. That moment of surrender and trust is where we fly too, where we reach our potential and make the most meaningful connections. Animals are showing us the way all the time, holding space for us or giving us the opportunity to create that supportive space for them.
Last night I went to bed with a horrible migraine. Our cat Calla nestled into my shoulder and literally reached her paws around me. She wasn’t worried or anxious for me. She just held space with loving comfort. And I let her carry me to sleep. With the current world as crazy as it is, in a simple moment like that, it’s so clear that’s why we’re here, to surrender to the loop of love and support around us and within us, to let go of fear and pain, and fly. 🪶💜
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