Encounter with a Cardinal
Gott’s Thoughts
As far as I can tell, this may be one of the weirdest times of our lives. With unprecedented events for all of us, we are having to establish new routines and new expectations. On top of all this happening in the world, I am transitioning out of being the principal of PSA into an unknown future presently. For the past six years, I have had the opportunity to contribute to the leadership and growth of an amazing school community. One of my favorite things in my role at PSA was to write a note each week in our newsletter. It was my way of sharing what was on my mind and in my heart. Several people have shared with me that they looked forward to my note each week. I can’t tell you how much that has meant to me. So, with some encouragement from a few folks, I have decided to start a weekly post on Facebook.
So, here we go. Let me tell you about a bizarre encounter I had with a cardinal this past week. The story starts with me discovering that my sideview mirrors on my car were all marked up with lines and smudges. I had just run through the car wash a few days before and could not imagine how this happened unless someone had intentionally messed with my vehicle. As I was wiping the mirrors off, I noticed there was bird poop all around the base of the mirrors. I was really confused at this point.
Fast forward a few days later, I was sitting in my office at school on the phone with someone. Something caught my eye out the window and the story became very clear as to what happened to the RAV. A cardinal was beating the heck out of my sideview mirror. This went on for several minutes on both mirrors. He just kept attacking his image over and over again. Exhausted, he finally flew off. A couple of days later, I saw the same thing happening to the school van. One of the craziest things I have witnessed in a while.
Watching the cardinal made me think about myself. How often have I looked in the mirror and didn’t really know the person looking back? Who is that person really? How many times have I fought within myself trying to figure out who I am?
One of the themes of my random wanderings is a phrase that has come to be one of my life mottos: Find yourself, Accept yourself, Give yourself away. With that phrase in mind, I wondered if the redbird was having an identity crisis like so many of us. When we are faced with seeing ourselves as we really are, we have a choice. As Brene’ Brown talks about, we can get caught up in shame and discouragement because we feel unworthy and insufficient. We can try to hide behind masks of distorted beliefs and distractive actions. However, a healthier and more freeing pathway is to accept who we are. Not necessarily our behaviors but who we are. We are all enough. We are all worthy of being. Not because of what we do but because of who we are. We are each a human being who has purpose and is worthy of love and respect. If we want to live abundantly, we must accept ourselves in this light. Doing so frees us to focus on aligning our thoughts and actions toward giving ourselves away in meaningful and loving ways. Ultimately, it boils down to us learning to fully love ourselves so that we can fully love others.
As a person who loves science, I know the cardinal was instinctively trying to protect its territory. That behavior is written into its DNA. The bird most likely is incapable of recognizing its own reflection. However, we can. We have the power to see ourselves through all kinds of mirrors and learn more about who we are. This is not an easy process, but it is a necessary one if we desire to grow individually and relationally. Let’s give ourselves permission to quit fighting the one in the mirror and extend grace and compassion to the one looking back.