At sunrise, it had been my routine to open the kitchen curtains and watch a glimpse of orange evolve into an orb, welcomed by my “Good morning, world.” Until one morning, instead, unaware of any change in me, I said, “Good morning, family,” then—“Where did that come from?” Slowly returning my gaze to the front compound, with fresh awareness not of nature but now of family, I looked at the tall, broad neem in flower, black drongos looping to snap insects, and industrious house sparrows pecking for breakfast—and understood.
Fields still surround my home, built on bare land seven years ago. After a year, trees no taller than I am had sported a few leaves, and I’d added a birdbath. Sparrows came discovering the porch grills as perches. Next were Indian robins, and soon a large and varied population became not only my entertainment, but also my company. In time, crows discovered my oasis and initially were good guests. But when they assumed control by bringing their carrion, I was left cleaning the bath, strongly affected by the blood and remaining bird parts. The birdbath went to a friend, and I consoled myself with having had several years of pleasure, as well as an equally important education about Indian birds. I now occasionally glimpsed birds on the phone wires, but it was not enough. Then one day, with a change of season, I noticed the neem leaves fluttering; there was no breeze. Birds were moving from fruit to fruit. I felt my mouth widening to a smile. This would do!
But with my recent out-of-the-ordinary morning greeting, I now felt new determination to provide water for the few birds who visited here for insects among the pebbles and dried grasses. But how could this be done? Settling on a shallow lid as the new drinking pool, I placed it on a flat stone underneath the front water faucet and began to fill it each night to its quarter-inch rim. Even if no birds drank there, I had a purpose. I would put in water every night.
And soon, a squirrel discovered the lid and then a bulbul—and two days later there came a parade: a squirrel, an Indian robin, a bulbul, a laughing dove then two. And this morning a pair of bulbuls were drinking together. I am happily in business.
“My realization is, “Happiness originates from something positive and can be available through applied creativity and determination.”