Final Week of Magpies

 

No matter what plans we might have had for this spring, they have certainly gone awry. Lockdown as means of protection against the quickly spreading pandemic was not only unexpected and unplanned, but also something with which we had no experience. So we tried to make the best of it… or at least cope with it and preserve our physical, as well as our mental health. Perhaps we got some much needed rest… perhaps we learnt some new skills or improved the ones we had… perhaps we caught up on whatever we needed to catch up on.

From everything I had planned for this spring, finishing and self-publishing Frames was all that actually happened, even if not exactly the way I thought it would. But it’s a win, as far as I’m concerned. Aside from that… well, I slowed down… a lot. I spent more time on my blog, even if I initially thought my book would eat up all my spare time. I spent time observing my immediate surroundings and focused on whatever nature could be seen outside my apartment’s windows. Never before have I been more grateful for our building’s garden, for the old trees housing countless loud birds, even for all the weeds populating the ground because none of us could be bothered to tend to the area. As spring progressed, it was something that bloomed, that became green and leafy, that smelt green and leafy.

 

I blogged about these things and about how I used the birds inhabiting or visiting the garden as something to focus on whenever I needed to empty my mind of toxic thoughts or just calm my nerves. Somewhere in the middle of all this stagnant craziness, I discovered Tracy’s Corvid-2020 challenge (Reflections of an Untidy Mind Blog). Thank you for letting me know about it, Tracy, it was a treat! And the timing was perfect, considering my mild obsession with the magpies that had just moved to the garden. I was taken with their confidence and fearlessness and terribly amused by their bullying ways. Even when they wouldn’t win the fight, they were relentless. Even when it was obvious they couldn’t win the fight, they still tried and did their best (or worst?). And this sort of attitude brought them surprising victories, thus managing to keep their young ones fed and safe – no cat dares to mess with their little family. They’re not the nicest birds, that’s a given, but they do earn their respect.

Now that the last week has arrived, Tracy writes on her final post for the challenge, I feel hollow. In my darkest hours during the Covid-19 crisis, I clung to my talisman ravens. They were a tonic for easing the mind, imaginary friends. [..] The time has come to let them go. I couldn’t agree more. We all need to move on, now that we are no longer confined to our homes. We need to take our time perhaps and find a new rhythm, we need to do it safely and careful not to undo all the previous efforts, but move on we must.

Thank you for the inspiration and the beautiful challenge, Tracy! It was a pleasure!

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