I have a friend who loves feathers. Until I learned this about her, I didn’t see them. Now, in our yard, on the trail, in a different country, I see them everywhere. And what’s most surprising, I suppose, is that I am a bird lover. I listen for them. Look for them. Study them. Paint them. How did I not see the random feathers? Now, I not only see them, I begin to think of how the feather came to be in our pool. On our back stairs. Was there a squabble? A falling out? (no pun intended) And I smile as the words come so rapidly for a new story. And this is the true gift she gives to me.

Empathy — Maybe if we saw it for what it truly is, we would give it more readily. It’s like we think we’re losing something if we take a minute to see the world through someone else’s eyes, but oh, we have so much to gain. 

My friend loves feathers and birds. Now I love birds and feathers. 

I ask myself today, what is it you see that I’m not seeing? Maybe we could all ask that of ourselves, as we make our way under the birdsong.