Worry no More

See oil painting “Sparrows” come alive in 2 minutes (time lapse)

Today there were four little sparrows at the tower bird feeder at the same time. It was fun to watch them. They seemed so focused and organized, as if the flock of them had decided ahead of time where each should perch. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we humans were so relaxed and confident that our needs would be met? We could arrive at a dinner table provided for us- just sitting there for us to help ourselves- and we would then all harmoniously take up a chair. We’d eat peacefully, calmly, without a care in the world. And then we’d all go off together. Spiritually, life can feel like this.

I was able to let go of yesterday’s aggressive dogs incident. The trespassers didn’t return. I don’t think they will stay away for long, but it was a nice break from them. Today was cold and overcast with some light rain. I wasn’t outside much today anyway. But even so, I wasn’t tightly wound about the idea of seeing them. I’ve chosen to simply go back inside if they come around. There is nothing so urgent that I have to be out there when there’s a group of people who are so disrespectful of others, who arrive with dangerous large animals. It’s really that simple.

No, it’s not OK that their behavior restricts my freedom, but I can choose to ignore all of it if I don’t want this stress in my life. However, if there’s another bad incident concerning the unleashed dogs I will feel compelled to report it, if for no other reason than to be a responsible citizen. Heaven forbid they go after a child! So, I’ll get involved if I have to.

But, since they leashed the dogs after I screamed at them to do so, they corrected the problem. I’ve decided that this can end right now if I choose (unless there is further incident, and there may never be). Refusing to engage is nearly always a choice we can make, and it’s often the right one. What was just one bad incident could turn into many bad incidents, unnecessarily.

Sometimes we worry about things that may never happen, and in the fretting and imagining, we cause the escalation. My neighbors have already taken care of this problem by building a fence. We can’t do that because we don’t own this property, but I don’t have to let this situation rile me up. So my next best move is to avoid them.

There are so many things I enjoy doing (or work that needs to be done), so when they decide to squat here for the afternoon or evening, I’ll do other things indoors. Their decisions and presence are only a problem for me if I choose for it to be. The fear I had that this would escalate is likely overblown, especially if I don’t keep the confrontation going. They will probably hang out near our patio as usual and I’ll avoid them. That’s it. No drama. I have heavy curtains and I can close them.

I’ll be like the sparrows, unconcerned and happy to go where I’m fed, with my family who loves me. There is no reason to fight my way to other spaces, even if I legally have the right to those spaces while the intruders do not. I have decided that it’s not worth the stress, and that I am worth more than sparrows. Besides, our situation is temporary. Soon we’ll be ready to go house hunting and we’ll find someplace where we belong. I happen to notice that most of the properties we’ve window shopped for have a FENCE!

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