Yesterday was uneventful but for one thing... my baby birds left home. I knew this was coming soon from watching the flurry of activity going on in their crib. The poor parents were in continual motion bringing food to the hungry masses who were in a constant state of vocalization. It was an interesting display of teamwork and tenacity. And then this morning I noticed the quiet. As I stood at our kitchen window and watched for signs of life I soon realized it was finished. The feeding and nurturing of these little ones had ceased to be a necessity and they were on their own. There was nothing left but an empty nest. A fitting metaphor as I watch my kids leave to be on their own.
Now, I wonder where the parents went after all their hard work was done. We've been left with assumptions and nothing else. Strangely, we have run into 2 dead birds within close proximity to the nest and I wonder if, after their job was over, the parents just dropped from the sky and died. Could that be? Was their chicks leaving the nest their calling card? That whole 'circle of life' thing? And if so, how does that translate to our own empty nests? Are the pink slips in the mail? Somehow I don't believe that to be the case, but you never know. The fact that we are living so much longer lives than our ancestors puts us in the position of having to plan for that. We've now got to work longer in order to support ourselves in old age. We don't have the 'luxury' of clocking out at 55. (This of course is a total generalization... there are those who most definitely can retire comfortably at an early age.) I'm positive the whole lottery ticket thing counts on us to stay above ground and paying our hard earned loonies, hoping for the chance to not have to worry about our 'golden years'. Hmmph. Crazy stuff.
I think the birds have the right idea!
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