Hey tweets, I used to read romance novels before I got married. In one story
I remember, the hero had a crystal snowball. One day he was feeling kind of
lonely, so he picked up the snowball and gazed into it. The scene inside was
a one-horse sleigh filled with a laughing couple. Our hero shook the
snowball, creating a flurry of "snow" around the couple. All of a sudden,
our hero felt the universe tilt on its axis. There was a moment of complete
disorientation, and then poof! he was in the snowball living the life of the
sleigh-driver.

I know what he felt like. Today at the Fill, I was standing near the wedding
rock, not thinking or feeling anything in particular. Truth be known, I was
missing my kids and feeling a little melancholy. All of a sudden, a swirl of
bushtits came flying through. They must not have seen me until they were
almost upon me because some came so close their wings almost brushed my
face. Instantly, I was enveloped by a flurry of feathers.

I don't know if you've ever had such an experience, but it is as enchanting
as a fairy tale. You are literally caught up in the lives of these little
birds, almost swept along with them into their perfect storm of rushing to
the next bush to grab a bite of bug.

I found myself twirling around and around, trying to keep up with them. I
was smiling like a child.

Among the many gifts birding has given me, the smiles I get from the pure
beauty of birds must be the greatest. Too often in these last few years, I
find myself humming this verse from the song, "Day Is Done": "Tell me why
you're sighing, my son. You shall inherit what mankind has done. In a world
filled with sorrow and woe, if you ask me why this is so, I really don't
know."

In other words, it can be hard to smile sometimes. Oh, I can laugh at a good
joke. I can feel a peak of joy when one of my writing students gets
published, or when one of my kids accomplishes something noteworthy. I can
feel solid satisfaction when I finish a job well done. But smiles that
express an overall sense of well-being? Smiles that reflect the feeling that
all's right with the world? Smiles just because the corners of your mouth
can't help but turn up? When was the last time you walked around feeling
that way?

I can truthfully answer by saying, "I felt that way just an hour ago, when I
was in the flock of bushtits."

It's plain to see that the world *is* filled with sorrow and woe. I've been
sorry and woeful ever since Al Gore lost the election! In this past week,
I've been felled by the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina. I am worried
by all the problems we speak about but don't address: global warming, the
growth of violent fundamentalism, the erosion of enlightenment.... well,
it's a long list.

But for every tragedy that pulls us down, a triumph lifts us up. For every
ugly act that makes us ashamed to be human, a selfless deed inspires us to
soar. For every cruelty, there is a kindness.

When I experience the perfect beauty that nature can grant us, I feel
strengthened to try to bring more of that beauty and happiness into the
world. If you feel the same, then don't waste another minute. Go out and
find a flock of bushtits today and twirl around with them for a while.
You'll smile for the rest of the day.

Here's everything I saw at the Fill today (cut short by the rain):
double-crested cormorant
great blue heron (heard)
Canada goose
mallard
green-winged teal
American Wigeon
American coot
least sandpiper
glaucous-winged gull
ring-billed gull
Vaux's swift
Anna's hummingbird
belted kingfisher (heard)
northern flicker
willow flycatcher
barn swallow
American crow
bushtit
black-capped chickadee
American robin
cedar waxwing
European starling
warbling vireo
common yellowthroat
savannah sparrow
American goldfinch - Connie Sidles, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com