I guess the ‘tricks’ aren’t really new…just not used as much as they should be.  Let me explain.

My two-week-long adventure with “Blue”, a great blue heron hanging around my back yard for months, has resolved itself.  His toe was bitten off, presumably by a snapping turtle and his injury was a concern for me.

Yesterday, my husband Tom said he saw Blue on the other side of the canal dive down into the water, catch a fish and bring it to my side of the canal.  I now KNOW he’s okay.  I was worried needlessly.  Like what happened to Mr. Duck a few years ago, nature took its course and Blue’s leg has begun to heal.

I can’t imagine that wild birds and animals think too much about what ails them.  They see no TV commercials to tell them what nutrition is best for them or what treatment or drug will help them (or kill them in the process!).  They focus only on the present moment and what’s important – food for sustenance and shelter for protection.

After trying to catch Blue one more time on Labor Day, I believe Blue moved downstream to get away from the well-meaning people trying to help him and find a way to adapt to his new limitation.

What did I learn from all this?

1.  We sometimes may need to get away from the usual and give ourselves a new environment to take time to heal.
2. We need to live in the moment…that’s all we really have.
3. We need to accept what is.  We may not like the way it is but accepting it allows us to return our focus to what is really important and let go of what’s not.
4. Worrying does nothing except drain our energies and cloud our thoughts.
5. Response is so much better than knee-jerk reaction.  Doing what may be needed when necessary — and knowing when you can’t — allows us peace of mind, flexibility and power.
6. We may need to adapt our ways from how we’ve previously thought or acted.
7. We need to trust OUR instincts, the inner voice that guides us on the ever-changing path we’re meant to follow.

Can I stop worrying?  Can I transition from reacting to responding?  Can I put aside what was and accept what is?  Can I adapt to what is, even if I don’t like it?  Can I trust my inner voice?  Can I be who I truly am and let go of being who others think I am or should be?  Can I do what I feel called to do instead of what others expect or want me to do?

Like you, I have a choice.  I’m going to try to incorporate what I ‘learned’ into each day moving forward.   Bottom line is if I feel good, I’m probably following this knowledge.  How about you?  You know, you really can teach an old dog new ‘tricks.’