Bird by Bird

I love this lesson shared by Anne Lamont who titled one of her books, Bird by Bird: Some Lessons on Writing Instruction and Life.

It goes something like this. When Anne and her brother were kids, her brother was upset one evening. I picture his face buried and his hands in his hair. I imagine him surrounded by colored pencils and paper scattered about the kitchen table. When their father asked him what was wrong, he explained that he had a project about birds due the next day, and he didn’t know how he was going to get it all done. In my mind, their father put his hand on his son’s shoulder as he kindly stated, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

One bird at a time is where I’m at right now. It’s probably where many of us are right now.

When we are stressed and at our wits end, it’s hard to not be completely overcome with anxiety and exhaustion. We, like Anne’s brother, can find ourselves wondering how we will make it through or how we will get it all done.

I’m in a place right now where I’m having to be deeply honest with myself. Honest about how I’m doing and what I need. Often what I want and what I need in the moment differ and that makes daily life a bit tricky.

As an example, when our cortisol levels are high, we are more likely to reach for processed foods and sugars rather than veggies and protein. I can’t think of anything I want less than a piece of spinach right now. But hear me. I’m not making myself each spinach and only spinach right now. I essentially tried that (not quite that hard core but close) and the veggies went to waste because I could not bring myself to eat them. Instead, I’m learning to lean into foods that are comforting to me while tweaking those foods to get more of the nourishment I need. As an example, I’m making chili right now. I just added some chopped green beans, corn, and bone broth. I can still enjoy the warm comforts of the chili that I love while also making sure I get more of the nutrients I need.

I’ve also noticed that when I’m weighed down by fear and worry, I want to be alone. But sometimes as Brene Brown says, “The bravest and most important thing we can do is to show up and be seen.” So, even though I didn’t feel like it, I got into some classrooms last week. And of course, I felt so much better after the fact. Being around kids and teachers is a hope-giving experience. Being in classrooms reminds us that even when the world feels heavy and impossible, there are glimmers. It’s not all bad. There is so much good in the world and much of that good can be found in schools.

As Squire Bill Widener once said, “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.”

Every mosquito move as I call it in Legacy of Learning will add up. Our 100% won’t be the same every day. But that doesn’t meant we didn’t give it our all today. What matters most is that we keep trying.

So, here’s to trying again next week.

Here’s to taking it bird by bird.