Proof of Life

 I can now identify and name at least 9 bird species just flying around in the vicinity of our garden. Each time I see one, I cry out the name, cutting in conversations much to the annoyance of my partner or much to the fright of our long-time house help, but very much to my own delight. So I asked myself last night, "Why this delight? Why such pleasure?" 

There is something to be said about naming. It somehow gives the object a concrete quality. Proof of life, if you will. In the practice of Mindfulness, there is an exercise where we are asked to name the particular emotion whether heavy or light, overriding the current state and then later on to name where it manifests in the body. To name something is to give a face to it, allowing one to finally, well, face it making the previously unnamed to be less fearsome, less cumbersome. Naming as well, allows for a deeper and greater appreciation of what transpires in the mind, body and heart. 

Taken into the context of delight and pleasure of my recent excitement of naming the 9 birds that invariably fly around in our garden, it is simply that naming them, recognizing them has given them a more concrete value in my everyday. They are no longer just winged creatures that flit and soar from tree to tree. They are now even more distinguishable by the shape of their wings, the color of their nape, the shade of their breast, the patterns of their flying and the sound of their song. Each appearance brings me out of my stupor and into a much cheerier place. That I could name them is like meeting a new friend especially in this time of isolation. These days in the mornings and afternoons , I feel like a five year old again ready to go to school so I can meet new friends and upon coming home, taking so much pleasure in telling whoever listens, what she has seen, heard and felt about her new friends, perhaps much to the annoyance and even fright of others.

Tamsi, Tukmol, Bangkiyod, Antolihao, Gorion, Uwak, Galansiang, Tibalas, Tagbaya. Nine bird species I can name. Obviously, the Cebuano terms are much more fun to use than their English counterparts. Either way, I am simply and tremendously grateful for this new experience of delight and pleasure in the body, mind and heart, of partaking in this proof of life, of this other path to devotion, to presence. 

In photo: Tamsi

Olive Backed Sunbird 

CINNYRIS JUGULARIS