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The Birds

Come fly with me to wellness.

By Ken FendleyPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Rubythroated hummingbird on back porch feeder

Disclaimer: Despite the Hitchcockian title, I am not the famed filmmaker.

You may be asking yourself why a post about birds is in the wellness challenge. Granted, it does seem a little strange, so lemme ‘splain.

My premise is this: wellness begins at the top, or in the brain. If we are having emotional or psychological issues, they can definitely have a deleterious effect on wellness. Unhealthy thoughts or feelings, such as unresolved anger, can be like a systemic poison. My years of pastoral counseling bear this out, as I’ve met with and tried to help individuals whose anger had led to bitterness and subsequent physical health issues. But, rather than use their stories, I’m going to share mine.

I had a pretty normal childhood, much like a scene from Leave It to Beaver. I was a regular kid who walked to school, played out ‘til dark, pestered my four siblings, and grew up with both parents in the home. Back then we’d never heard of electronic devices, color television, or microwaves.

All that changed in 1968. I’ve written about this in an earlier post, but the long and short of it is that I came home in 1972 after commanding young men in combat, angry, anxious, and alone. There were no cheering throngs in the airport awaiting me, only stares of contempt and disdain. Upon arrival at home, there was no one there to welcome me except my little nuclear family. Furthermore, there were no support groups or resources, and at that time no one had yet coined the term post traumatic stress disorder. Once home I took off my uniform and gave all of the medals and trinkets away. I climbed into civilian clothing and tried to blend in as well as possible.

Without any resources for coping, I found that the only road to recovery was a running trail. I was at peace while running, always alone. I could think clearly, and on those rare occasions when the endorphins kicked in, I even found euphoria, albeit fleeting. But, alas, that came to an end when my knees wore out. So it was back to square one - deal as well as possible.

Hope arrived by way of a gift from my executive assistant. For my birthday, she provided me with a birdfeeder. I had never been into birds, but her gift got me started on an interesting path to wellness.

In short order I had bought some birdseed and hung the feeder in the backyard. I soon discovered that I was totally fascinated watching the birds as they jockeyed for position on the feeder. I enjoyed it so much that I bought more birdfeeders. I became so wrapped up in it that my son began to call me “Tuppens”.

That was several years ago. Since then I’ve gone through a divorce, moved several times, and finally landed in rural Arkansas. At present I have six feeders in various places around the yard, and I can sit for hours just watching eleven different species of birds that come and feed on a regular basis, Including goldfinch, titmice, chickadees, juncos, and at least two types of woodpeckers. I’ve even gone so far as to join an organization that keeps track of backyard birds.

The obvious question at this point is what this has to do with wellness. For me this pursuit provides peace, purpose, and serenity, to the point that my vital signs are better than they’ve ever been. I take no meds except for pain caused by arthritis. The bottom line is that if you treat the head, the body will follow.

I foresee myself growing old seated in a rocker on the back porch, letting my avian friends treat my head.

healing
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About the Creator

Ken Fendley

My wife and I see things very differently. Take a stroll through our respective minds.

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