https://youtu.be/otcjK_EV1CU
To be focused in the direction of one’s destiny requires learning how to not be afraid of what is around you, stand firm amidst the attacks, and to stay still in times of worry.
I have shared this story in one of my earlier reflections. It was the time I remember my husband drawing my attention to look up at the sky. There were two eagles flying side by side. Aside from seeing the rare sight of two eagles flying together, what personally struck my focus were three crows taking turns nipping at one of the eagle’s tail end, cawing viciously aloud, allowing the open air to echo the alarming sound.
The other eagle flew untouched and indifferent right beside the rather tampered-with eagle. One watching would question whether the untouched eagle even took notice of the other eagle being under attack for it flew with no hesitation. More surprisingly, the eagle pecked and gnawed by the three crows, causing the eagle at times to toggle side to side or at times, pulled back, due to the nipping of its tail, continued to still willfully and gracefully soar the sky along with the other eagle without a hint of lost temperance or focus to fly onward.
My husband and I intermittently watched, giving our necks rest while tending to our yard. In their entirety of flying above us in the wide open air, the crows never stopped- attacks, noise and all, until my husband and I could see nor hear all the birds any longer.
I think back time to time about those eagles. Two questions arise in thought: 1. Why did the other eagle not help? Fair to point out, 2. Why did the attacked eagle continue to fly unaffected?
I saw two eagles in the sky. Two representations of a person’s strong resistance to unwanted presence and their attacks I was given to analogically reflect upon.
The eagle flying indifferently next to the one being attacked is what I’m familiar of being directly or indirectly referred to when others do their best to convince me to interfere or interject and I don’t.
Does no reaction entail no reaction at all?
I cannot explain to those who cannot understand. When I see nothing but crows gnawing at the tail end of those flying next to me, sometimes ever so loudly, affecting the peace in the air, getting some form of attention to others who now wonder why, it is most important to stay calm and steady, only preparing to help, if ever need be.
If one should depend on me to protect them from the onset of troubles, what shall happen when they are to soar the sky alone?
Train one to know how to handle troubles and in time, peaceful strength will build, arriving at eventual mastery to waste no energy on interference or disruptions, but rather, how to just keep going toward one’s destiny.
Even if we were to dodge and weave to avoid undesirable moments, how we handle ourselves in times of challenges signifies the strength of our character. Even if it seems there are things trying to slow us down or derail us, we can adamantly choose to soar the sky uninfluenced.
When incoming attacks come in season, it is most important to hold determination not to falter. One who flies next to another, of all, must stay most unaffected. Showing worry or ill-temperance will not only slow all of those with you down, but acknowledge the should very well be insignificant crows, those gnawing at you and the rest, to gain some form of validation. Additionally, crows will have not only impacted the day for one to soar, but succeed to entrap now two. This leads me to reflect upon the strength of the attacked.
Having had run-ins with crows (i.e., darkened spirits, hearts, minds) time and time again, we can surmise that this attack from crows was not the first. The attacked has either observationally or personally learned that stopping flight in the process of being disrupted is what crows hope to do. They viciously gnaw at you, loudly bickering with hardly bearable sounds to endure.
What is fed gets reinforced, yes? If, after some time, the attacks just become the usual each moment you soar in the sky, could the gnawing and sounds of the loud cawing be eventually muted out? The eagles that day taught me so.
From what I have read, it is important to point out that crows attack eagles when feeling territorially threatened. Interesting how humans attack under the same fear or mindset. A threat of one’s time, space, opportunity, life, or even joy could lead a darkened one to act like a belligerent, vengeful crow.
No crow, though they clearly dare, should stop an eagle from completing its flight. Eagles already take that symbolic responsibility in exemplifying strength and temperance as they fly through all weather conditions. Why add the worry of other birds desiring to create extra storms and obstructions? When the breeze is just right and the sky is rich in blue, all is much too beautiful in the air to allow such interruption.
When flying with another, it should become each individual responsibility to neither be taken down. To see you soaring is already a threat. To see you soaring with someone beside you is even more troubling to the eyes who already weren’t in favor of seeing you soar through the sky alone.
You must count on one another to keep steady. We are reminded to not be afraid; to stand firm. We need only to be still.
Those who have faltered, no reason justifies the outcome- lost time, lost energy, lost chances and opportunities, along with lost hopes.
When you are soaring in the sky, especially not alone, I understand now that to take you down starts with taking those around you first. Once, if ever, you are isolated, all crows hope you are at your weakest point. Losing those around you first would be their entertainment to see you hurting before their hope and awaiting day to see you also fall.
Crows represent anything standing in your way of your destiny- whether in heart, mind, body, or spirit. You must conscientiously train those around you for those days of when crows come as you soar the sky.
There was a parent-child duo competition years ago at my school. It just so happened that year several teachers had children attending our school, I being one of those parents. Each parent and child were to race together to compete with other parent-child duos at a pep assembly. The race was for each child and parent to get on those just over a foot long miniature bikes and pedal from one end of the gym to the other side where the finish line awaited.
I didn’t think twice about it. You see, just like in the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, where the main character won by sheer chance of all his stumbles in life, I had ridden those miniature bikes during after school sports so many times at this one school throughout an entire year. It was second nature to me-like really, brushing your teeth. It didn’t even come to mind that many have never ridden or seen those bikes in their lifetime. It later dawned to me, my child was apparently one of them.
I was almost to the finish line when I heard a ruckus of some kind from the entire school audience. Their reaction to me almost to the finish line was not matching my understanding of how normally everyone cheers one about to complete a challenge.
I started to think that something was oddly wrong. Thinking to have my child riding right next to me, I thought nothing of the race. There was the clause. My child was not riding next to me. It was only when I quickly looked back where I could see my child struggling, hardly able to control the bike across the gym.
Here is where you get to judge me with many already years ahead of you casting understandable and inevitable judgment. I did not feel to go back to help my child. I felt to wait for my child to finish at the other end.
A clinical psychologists once suggested something within the lines of how it is a mother’s nature to necessitate failure. I am that mother. This was a learning how to tie your shoelace moment, not a save a life situation. Audience or no audience, applause or no applause, my child would finish that race. My child did.
For every time my child have hurt, I have quietly hurt ten times worse. It is always with my greatest effort to make sure my hurt never become my children’s weakness or crutch. Their strength and possibilities are the only thing for them to see. It is always my hope and intent to show nothing more than my belief that they are capable of facing their own responsibilities, accomplishing their own goals and desires.
Yet another time, a child of mine continued to forget to bring their hooded coat to school in kindergarten. I see this even today in middle school, students freezing out in the cold and yet there the coat lies on the ground, in their backpacks, or decidedly left at home. Having an outdoor campus, I remind myself to do my best to hurry to let students in during cold temperatures. That walk from one class to another has already left them outside to lose body heat.
When I hear my students exclaim, “It’s so cold out here!”, 9 times out of 10 I see a child before me with just a sweatshirt on or sadly, a shirt. I just smile and with both of us understanding my message coming through I say, “I see a coat in your future.”
My own child was always forgetting to bring a coat to school. As a stay-at-home mom, I already felt I was one systematic type where my children’s days had order to a controlled T. Breakfast was cooked and served before school, clothes folded or hung and ready the day before, lunch made with names on them and of course, short messages and a smiley face written on the bags.
I finally got to play house the way I had envisioned as a mother and so, there I was, working the mother system to the realm of peaceful control. Still, training for storms had to regularly take place. Each time I would wonder if my way or choice in parenting was questionable, I would go into my heart in silence and ask if I was raising my children to their fullest capacity. My direction in parenting was always led by prayer, thankful for such given blessing to have the chance.
I would always have children over after school. My choice, my joy and peace. Rather than having my own children go over to other homes, predominately, my comfort was to have other children over our home. Other parents never seemed to mind this tradeoff.
One time, I had an appointment for another one of my children and needed the favor to be reciprocated. It just so happened to be the day where the rain came down pouring from the skies. I thought nothing of it until I went to pick up my kindergartner from my neighbor’s home.
I immediately received the humbling lecture from the other mom. She was in complete right in her offense to have to walk my son to her home without a coat. We were different moms loving in different ways. There was no need for me to explain that my child, although under an umbrella, will remember to bring a coat from hereon because of that walk in the rain that day.
That child who struggled with a miniature bike and that child who would forget to bring a coat to school? Both academic leaders, presidents of their class, and state champions to name a few of their successes. Could I have helped my child with the miniature bike? Could I have made sure my child not forget to bring a coat again to school?
I did.
