Soar to New Heights

The shell must break before the bird can fly – Tennyson

Over the holiday weekend, I took advantage of all the sales and spent the day shopping at Opry Mills Mall, or even better, Forever 21. I love their funky sense of style. You never know what gem you might find. You can find something very 80’s like, a print dress with cats, or more specifically birds. Jokingly, I told my friend I might need a little intervention from all my newly acquired bird collection – a shirt, a dress, a bracelet and a necklace, to be exact.

Now one may think that I am one flight away from the cuckoo’s nest, but I think there is a deeper meaning to my new fascination. Birds are symbolic of freedom. They soar above to new heights.

During the summer, a momma bird took temporary residence in my new Boston fern. I guess it was an ideal location to birth her babies. I paid close attention to the process. Most of the time, she sat with her babies unless I startled her or she went for food.

I think the whole process took around 6 weeks. I know I was getting rather impatient, because I could not water the plant. I just bought it and didn’t want it to die for lack of water. But one day I came home, and the babies were gone. I guess it was time for them to leave the nest for good.

A lot has transpired in this last year. Strongholds have been removed and I find myself in a new place – freedom. Now that the chains that have kept me grounded for most of my life are removed, I am free, like the bird, to leave the nest, take flight, soar to new heights to a place where my dreams collide with reality.