The Beauty of Nature

Just like a big portion of the US right now, Tennessee is in the midst of a winter storm.

Now, if you’ve never lived in the South, you may not understand that a winter storm is much different here than in other parts of the country that are used to getting snow.

First, we don’t handle it well—At. All. It’s not common here, so it simply doesn’t make sense for us to keep all of the equipment and supplies on hand to clear roads and keep people moving.

I went to elementary school in the Boston area. I remember going to school with snowplow piles several feet high on either side of the road. At our school, when it snowed and we couldn’t go on the playground, we still went outside—we played in the street! And I mean that literally. There was a little side street that went behind the school, and they would close it off to traffic, and we would run around and play in that area of the road because it was paved and cleared of snow.

Here in the South, only the main roads get cleared. Then, as they are able, they work their way back to the smaller streets and neighborhoods. But to be honest, most of the people in the small “off-the-main-road” neighborhoods simply rely on Mother Nature (aka the sun!) to clear their paths.

Second, we very rarely get just snow. We get ice. A lot of ice. I don’t care if you are from Boston, Detroit, or anywhere else that experiences a lot of snowstorms—you can NOT drive on ice. I can’t tell you how many northern transplants (and yes, my family was exactly that) come here and say, “I can drive in snow; you southerners just don’t know how to do it.” Then they are the exact ones needing to get pulled out of the ditch. I don’t say that derogatorily. I’m just telling you that no one can drive on ice—especially when it accumulates to 0.5 inches.

All of that is to say that the city has basically shut down, and I am stuck at home. I know what most of you are thinking—“I’d love to be stuck at home!” Well… good for you!  I am not on that bandwagon.

Honestly, I am already home more than I like. So being forced to be here even more has really been grating on my nerves. I teach classes on the weekends, and I enjoy it! So, I have been focused on the irritation of this forced isolation and the inability to get out to do something that I enjoy.

But then, I noticed some of the birds outside of my patio window. I have a lot of cardinals and jays that come around. Their bright reds and blues really pop against the stark white of the snow. They were hopping around from branch to branch, and it seemed they may be looking for something to eat.

I keep a cheap bag of cat food in my cupboard for the few ferals that come around every now and then. In the past, I’ve noticed that what the cats may not finish, the birds will come and eat. So, I dug out that bag of cat food, sprinkled it around the patio, and waited.

I didn’t have to wait long before a couple of tiny little birds (I won’t pretend to know what they are) came up and stole a few pieces to take back to their branches. Then the blue jays came. The different shades of blue really stood out against the white background of the snow on the ground. They grab two or three pieces at a time and then fly back to their safe spots.

The cardinals followed the jays. They are slightly more cautious. I can see them waiting up in the trees, scanning for just the right moment to pop over and grab a few bites before they scramble back up to the safety of the trees.

I have a soft spot for cardinals. Not just because they are beautiful, but because my Nana loved them. She used to feed the birds every day. I remember in the spring she would sit out on the patio and sing, “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee.” (I realize you probably can’t get the full appreciation for that sound in a blog, but just go with me here.)  We don’t really have many chickadees here in Tennessee—I’ve only ever seen a few. But we do have cardinals, and those were her favorite. I’d like to believe my Nana sends them… or at least watches them with me when they come.

As I sit and watch the birds fly back and forth, snatching a bite of cat food (hey, they don’t know it’s cat food) and flying off, I’m reminded that nature doesn’t spend time being annoyed at the situation. The birds just deal with it and go about their morning searching for breakfast. I hope the bit of food I put out makes their search a little easier, but I know if I hadn’t done that, they would have found something else. Because that is the beauty of nature. It just keeps going.

The birds don’t know that their bright reds, brilliant blues, and fifty shades of greys (yes, I went there) are brightening up my day. But they are.

I guess this has been a long-winded way of saying that I’m reminded today that I can find beauty in any situation, even one that I have been dreading for a week. So, I am going to continue to watch “my” birds as they fly around in the snow while I eat my “snowed-in” snacks. But don’t worry—I am still doing my “no-snow-shimmy dance” and hoping it only lasts a day or two. Even the beauty of the birds can’t change me that much!