Brave you,
Have you ever wondered if there's something inside you waiting to get out,
But you're not sure what it is or how to find it?
We've all seen people with that spark.
They've got an unmistakable drive,
And they ooze excitement about their life.
They don't seem to care if others understand,
Or approve,
Or even notice at all.
What's clear is,
Whatever it is for them,
It makes their hearts race,
And sure looks like worth having.
Let me tell you a story.
One morning,
The air was calm,
Ordinary,
But I heard music outside the window.
I heard birds singing,
But not just any singing,
It sounded layered,
A beautiful overlap of melodies.
I was sure it must be many birds together,
A chorus of weaving voices,
Highs and lows,
Soft pauses,
And unexpected turns.
The next day I heard it again,
And it was too intriguing to ignore.
The singing filled the yard,
And as I looked around,
I was certain I'd find different birds,
Each carrying a part of the symphony I heard,
But when I looked more closely,
I could find only one.
A small brown bird,
So plain to the eye,
You might not notice him in the branches.
He was perched high on a scrappy little twig,
Tucked into an opening of leaves that gave him a panoramic peek of the neighborhood.
And from that little perch,
He couldn't be missed,
Thanks to his song.
It was not a simple chirp or repeating tweet,
It was bold,
Unpredictable.
His song rose and tumbled,
It just poured out of him in ways I'd never heard before.
At first I couldn't believe it,
That sound couldn't be coming just from him,
But I watched carefully and saw each of the incredible range of notes,
In perfect sync with tiny movements of his beak and expansion of feathers from around his throat.
One small bird,
Alone,
Singing in a way that made it clear he had found his gift,
And he was just letting it flow.
I could tell that my new friend was singing because he loved sharing his gift,
No matter who was listening.
Whenever I heard him,
I found myself captivated by what would come next,
And I couldn't ever forget enough of his singing.
Over weeks and months,
He kept showing up on his same little branch,
Happily singing his heart out,
And I'm still surprised by how much I wanted him to keep coming back,
Wanting to hear again his joy,
His gift.
Because each time he sang,
Something in me felt freer,
More enthusiastic about life.
And I realized the way this plain little bird sang his heart into the world was inspiring.
And it made me think each of us would be lucky to tap into that passion,
To find our gift,
To take a deep breath and let it out for the world to hear.
Some people spend their whole lives waiting for permission,
Listening to others lead,
Or hoping the world will somehow align so they can finally get in touch with their gift.
But here's the truth.
That moment you seek is within your reach.
It's the same moment you dare to begin.
Your gift might be the way you think,
The things you create,
How you care,
Or the way you dream.
It may be small and quiet,
Or bold and blazing,
But it's yours to find and yours to share.
Brave you,
Search anywhere you can think to look.
There's no reason to fear what speaks to you.
There's a maestro in you,
Waiting for a chance to help you embrace who you really are,
And bring you joy that feels effortless.
When you follow your passion,
When you lean into what makes your soul shine,
It has the power to let you savor time,
And to make you excited to be alive.
Brave you,
We are all ordinary in so many ways,
And that all changes the moment we discover our extraordinary gift.
