365 Project - Day 182

The Robins have nested! We think. No one is allowed in the front yard, so we can't be 100% sure. My husband peeked around the corner and saw the mother sitting in the nest. We assume an egg was laid. He learned that they leg an egg every day and in 2 weeks they will hatch. I am like a mother hen. I anxiously await the arrival of these new babies.

With the weather warming up, I decided to fill our bird feeder, sit out side, enjoy the weather and capture photos of birds as they munched the food I provided. My husband told me I would find seed in the one grocery store aisle I never venture in, the pet aisle. I had no idea! And, there were so many varieties from which to choose. Having no clue how to properly select bird seed, I chose a pretty label described as attracting exotic birds. After we filled and hung the bird feeder, my husband suggested I relax since it would take a few hours for word to spread that new seed was available.

My patience did not last. I waited one hour and went outdoors. It was such a pleasure to have warmish weather. Well, truth be told, it was crisp (in British terms). I wore long underwear, sweatpants, a hooded sweatshirt and added a blanket, but the sun was shining.

While waiting, I did a little thinking, a little praying, a little napping. What I did not do, was photograph a bird. Several hours of waiting patiently and not a single bird showed. It was frustrating and I was cold. My husband thought I started too late in the day. "Birds eat early in the morning," he said. "You need to get up at the crack of dawn." Yet by 9AM the next morning my husband had declared my bird food a poor choice. So much for pretty packaging and exotic food!

I've had a lot of time to think about that bird-less day and have come to understand waiting in a new light. Waiting and waiting periods are important moments of growth. Too often, we want to move from the beginning to the end without a growth period in between. Yet, if we will use the time, that delay can deliver a dramatically strengthened outcome. The time I spent that first day, without the birds, allowed me to pause and reflect on what I knew about bird photography; make appropriate adjustments to both my camera and my lens; rethink my focus and how that related to the composition of my shots; get more comfortable with the birding modus operandi. Most importantly, it provided me time alone with God.

We must reimagine our wait time. Think of that time, whether we are waiting for God, love, jobs, Fridays, money or perfection, not as blank spaces or desperate delays, but as gold; rare gifts where growth prepares and strengthens us for the goal.

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Prepared

"Biblically speaking, waiting is not just something we have to do to get what we want. Waiting is part of the process of becoming what God wants us to be." John Ortberg





EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 250
230mm
f4
1/1500s