How do we know if we are on the right path in life?  And is there even such a thing? Does life offer us a range of opportunities, and is the one we choose the right one for then, forever, or maybe just for a season. It’s easy to get hung up on doing the right thing and from my experience it becomes a bind when the wheels of life become loose and the road is bumpier than we expected.

And where God, or talk of God has been part of the process. To lay claim to making a decision that ‘God told me to make’ can be another huge source of pain and disappointment. Our expectations in this case remain so high that when challenges and impossible situations appear we may struggle to let go, lest a sense of failure sets in. Of course that leads to another question of ‘what is failure and what is success’, but that’s another story.

It’s May, and Autumn again. It came around so fast. Three years ago I embarked on what I considered to be (my) brave and courageous act of going solo as a Spiritual Director/Companion, setting up a website and publishing stories as a way to introduce myself and this practice that I love. It was new and challenging and yet somehow invigorating and exciting.

In the summer that preceded it I had taken some time to consider how I could compose a new kind of life. At the beach one day I was invited by a flock of Warou | Welcome Swallows to be wowed by their presence as they swooped and flew around me. It was quite mystical. Of course after the experience I did some googling, (a sure way to pour cold water on an experience that is so ‘other-worldly), and long story short I decided to invite them onto the pages of my new website as both an image and a metaphor for what I hoped to offer others that  they offered me on that day; ‘manaakitanga | hospitality’, as the core and heart of my practice. 

Birds are mysterious and a close encounter with one, or a flock is a privilege and an invitation to stop, observe and be awed. So just a few days ago when I was walking the same country path that I have walked over these past many years I found myself once again in the company of these avian friends; 3 little warou, sitting above me on a wire.

Yes it’s a bit cliche, and the words of the Bob Marley song ‘Three Little Birds’ where he encourages us ‘not to worry about a thing, cause every little thing’s gonna be alright’ came to mind. And of course Corinne Bailey Rae expanded on this song with her popular ‘Put your records on’ and the lyrics of her version appeal to me as she extends the invitation to ‘just relax’. It’s cute.

The moment was not lost on me as I paused under the wire and asked ‘Why you, why now’? The fact is I’d been thinking about whether or not to continue with the website or whether it had run its course. I somehow needed a sign. I knew back then I should create it, but that didn’t mean I should continue it, or that it would go on forever. It was right at the time, but may not be going forward. Letting go is hard, but without it something new cannot be found. 

I was open to either scenario yet in light of the fact that I’d been asking a question and seeking an answer here was a beautiful confirmation from these warou friends telling me not to worry, ‘just relax.’ For me it was a clear ‘carry on,’ as simple as that.

Life is as complex as we make it. Perhaps simplicity as a lifestyle is an antidote that we could adopt to navigate the complexities that are before us. It sounds like an oxymoron to find answers amidst our frenetic life in simplicity, yet these heavenly creatures, clothed in all of their glory offered me their uncomplicated and wise presence that day, somehow showing me my path.

The saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ resonates with me and if you’ve discovered as I have that the signs of life that appear as wise guides and comforting friends are often found in the familiar places that intuitively and organically bring us a sense of peace, then I’m happy to be writing about birds for the rest of my life. 

Where is your uncomplicated place of connection to the sacred….?