Hummingbird Wisdom
I recently rooted into a protected rainforest in Costa Rica to be in silence and meditation for two weeks over the holiday season. We all have our different ways of experiencing pleasure, honouring the seasons and transitions from one year to another. As I’ve gotten more familiar with what truly makes my heart sing, I have learned that for me one of the greatest pleasures and privileges of being alive in this body is to immerse in nature and to be as quiet and slow as possible. This was the gift I gave myself and it was truly remarkable to receive uninterrupted time tuning in.
It took several days of slowly walking the same spiral path in the sacred garden before I noticed the hummingbird chilling out on a tall branch. I had never seen a hummingbird at rest. Usually I become aware of them through their sound magic wings, the fleeting delight and awe of witnessing them flutter in and out of my awareness. Here in this garden, the hummingbird sat calmly, slightly puffed up in a way that made her look adorably fluffy. She was so at ease I almost couldn’t believe it was a hummingbird until she took flight and become a kaleidoscope of delicately precise movement and agility.
She fluttered from flower to flower drinking nectar from the garden’s abundance and then returned to her branch to take rest. As I watched her get still once more, I saw her lick the nectar from her beak, and we made eye contact. It was completely enchanted. She was unfazed by me. I don’t know how long I stood there in reverence. Time disappeared and we were together here now always.
Each morning I returned to the same spot in the garden and each time, there she was. Resting and feasting, casually noticing me, and resting more. When one of the human stewards of the land walked by and saw us, I shared my experience, and he commented that this seemed like a very lazy hummingbird, to which I replied that perhaps this was the wisest hummingbird!! A sage teacher reminding us all to slow down and to not overwork.
Being in silence and stillness for extended time without distraction provides a portal to deep concentration and awareness that I can have difficulty accessing in daily life but yet is always available when I choose to honour it.
How slow did I need to get to notice, be with and not rush getting to know the hummingbird ? What would happen if I gave myself even a micro dose of this kind of revered time and space to notice?