Report From PIA – April 1
Sometimes it takes awhile to attain a certain level of understanding…but I maintain that it’s worth the wait. I now know that the bunches of seedlings I see throughout my garden, the greedy blue jays, and the random sunflowers in my entry garden are related. I also think that I comprehend why someone recently defriended me on facebook, and yes, these things are related.
We’ve all seen blue jays gulping down seed at the birdfeeder. “Greedy birds!” I’ve thought more than once. But remembering that everything is connected to everything else, I asked a fellow birder about this. She explained that even these seemingly gluttonous jays are important. The blue jays don’t eat all the seed that they pack in, but bury a good amount of it, stockpiling it for later.
Other wildlife finds these stores of seed, and what isn’t eaten by birds and animals often sprouts and grows, providing more seed for all. So that apparently ravenous bird isn’t so piggish after all, but is instead providing food for the entire neighborhood.
Now I understand why so many sunflowers appeared in my entry garden as if by magic, and why so many pockets of seedlings are showing up the past few days. Now I know the blue jay’s importance in the grand scheme of things.
As I contemplate such new insights, my thoughts turned to someone who defriended me on facebook last week. This person complained about something that I too have dealt with, so I offered my perspective. I thought that it would help, but I clearly must have totally misread the situation. Suddenly I was defriended, and unable to talk with her at all, at least on this social media site. I didn’t understand that she wasn’t looking for a new point of view, but was, perhaps, blowing off steam or needing sympathy.
This exchange itself isn’t that important, but what is of interest is the significance of realizing that we often don’t fully comprehend what’s going on. Whether we’re watching bird or human behavior, there is usually much more than meets our eyes and perceptions. When we experience something that seems off, or a bit upsetting, maybe we should step back and ask ourselves if this might be another “greedy blue jay” that we just don’t understand.
All over Poison Ivy Acres I'm seeing little groups of seedlings that the blue jays planted.
The first year we were in this house, and started the entry garden, there were groups of sunflowers that sprang up as if by magic. Now I know why.
