She arrived on Mother’s Day which seemed fitting.
This robin was going to be some houseguest, and I’d have a front row seat to watch her build, lay, tend, and fledge. I imagined her parting tweet-“Mission accomplished! And thanks for the roof over our heads.” I taped over the lantern and ceiling fan switches to be certain she and her nest weren’t annoyed or destroyed by a careless human. I filled a water bowl so she’d have a bird bath nearby. Mealworms were coming… but she went.
I was a little concerned that her nest wasn’t coming together like I imagined it should, but hoped she might just have a more artistic bent than most birds. The bits hanging down looked so inspired. This Robin was feeling proud of this little robin’s originality. I remembered that Things Take Time. I was confident of her success. There were enough materials on the terrace to build a bird condo, but it just stayed a mess. Her first two industrious days turned into a disappointing week of her not showing up for work. She never built her nest; she just made a mess.
I’m not sure what happened. Maybe she found another place she liked better. Maybe she didn’t like being watched. Maybe she wanted a B & B and I should have gotten those mealworms right away. Robin wonders; robin knows.
And there went my story about building a perfect home with only found materials and a sharp little beak, but there’a still a story- maybe a better one. First things first. Cart behind the horse. Get the foundation right before you start on the embellishments. You might not need them after all. “ da Vinci knew, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” The Renaissance “Birdman” could have taught this little robin about simplicity and she might have schooled him in flight. And if not da Vinci, maybe T.S. Eliot? “Success is relative… it’s what we can make of the mess we’ve made of things.”
Carry on!