I love Robins! They symbolize the abundance of fall and the beginning of spring.
It is amazing the life lessons that can be learned by observing them.
Right now my back yard is full of robins beginning to flock together. They roost in the trees of my neighborhood and are stuffing themselves on ripe berries on my vines. The two water baths that I made for them are increasingly popular as the young robins play, drink and wash.
Robins follow me around as I water because I tend to drop the hose and let it run for a while so they can feast on worms. They eat protein in the morning as they hunt along my yard and through the leaf litter on the edges.
Afternoon and evenings find them dodging in and out of vines and picking through my garden for leftover fruit scraps. A favorite for them is the egg shells that I leave out or dry bread.
During the summer they are busy building nest, laying and incubating eggs and caring for their young. It's such a busy time that they get to work and go home. Fall finds the fledgings and Robins of all ages roosting in trees and building up their energy.
This roosting behavior is most interesting to me. The fathers hang out with the fledgings while the mother is incubating and nesting with new babies. The fathers and their fledglings are joined by other fathers and fledglings. This need to gather as multiple aged birds together in roosting trees is the environment that they need to learn to hunt, migrate and all other robin behavior.
I think of the celebrations that tribal people had when meeting together during nomadic cycles and how they all looked forward to this time of "winter count."
Rural people follow a similar natural cycle as they look forward to gathering for brandings, selling and other big events in their life cycle.
School is another gathering spot for us as we spend our summers in adventure and come back together in excitement during the fall.
Finally, our snowbirds are heading south. Pulling 5th wheels or driving motorhomes heading to meet friends where the cold won't find them.
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| Photo: Don Severson |
Wouldn't we be most productive and efficient in our own energy use if we observed and identified our own natural patterns and worked within that?
As we set goals, to do lists and calendars...to plan around our highs and lows?
I have done this activity in the past and found it helpful so beginning again in October. Incorporating this activity onto a calendar used daily makes it more simple.
Recognize and mark energy levels early morning, morning, early afternoon, afternoon, evening and after supper.
Taking a reflective look back, take note of the most productive times of the year. Natural beginnings and endings and celebrations also need marked. Ask these questions.
When am I most reflective?
Am I productive physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually at certain times of the day? Of the year?
What are times that work is naturally more or less busy and stressful?
Notes days and times of year that are difficult emotionally. Dark and short days. Memory days of loved ones passed.
Other things to consider.
The kids' schedule.
Family happenings.
Beginning October we will integrate what we know about our natural cycles into a plan for next year!
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