Listen. An other worldly warble is carried on the wind. Then another joins it. Then too many echo back until it’s impossible to differentiate numbers. My eyes scan the skies, struggling to separate living form from light, struggling to identify the source of the call.
Listen. It comes again and this time I can see the widespread wingspan of whooping cranes, rising and circling and lazily calling. It’s spring on the prairies and migration has begun. Warm sun is such a sweet relief chasing off the unpredictable winter we’ve managed to survive once more. Our area is called “Land of the Living Skies” and at this time of year it lives up to its name. Sitting here on my deck, cappuccino in hand, I can witness a parade of birds flying overhead. Sometimes it’s geese in what seems like a never-ending stream of honking. I’ve glanced in time to witness the purposeful, direct line of a bald eagle. I was surprised once by swans, as beautiful in flight as on water. Today it’s cranes and I’m amazed they ever arrive at their destination, shunning the eagle’s driven journey for their own seemingly aimless floating and circling on the up-drafts.
Why do they do it? What drives them to embark on a journey of thousands of miles? Do they just wake up one morning and decide today is the day? Some arrive hopelessly early, standing awkwardly on ice covered ponds staring at snow packed fields. Some seem to arrive desperately late barely leaving enough time for their brood to sprout wings strong enough to join them on the return flight.
Have you ever woken up and been aware that your soul had started a migration? A restlessness nudges the corners of your heart and you know something has shifted. You become aware that you are supposed to do something different. What changed? Most often you either ignore that inner squirm or the busyness of every day life keeps it at bay. Then in quiet moments you feel it descend past the logical process of your brain and straight to your soul. It happens while driving, when everyone else is sleeping, when the dishes are being washed, when you’re waiting for the dog – any time really. It descends and yet you are aware that it’s never left you. It’s not going anywhere, it’ll just wait. Always there.
Calling.
Calling you for what?
Calling you to do what?
Ignore it and it’s like a tap dripping. Ignore it forever and you’ll always wonder what would happen if you had listened. It won’t go away. It also won’t take over your life. But it will continue to call to you in your quiet moments. So often we want things in life to change but we’re guilty of ignoring the hints showing us the way to make that change possible.
So often we want things in life to change but we’re guilty of ignoring the hints showing us the way to make that change possible.
Listen. It’s migration time. Calling for you to pause the busyness and listen. It’s time. Don’t ignore it. Your call isn’t the same as mine. In fact, yours isn’t the same as anyone else’s. Just do the first thing it’s calling you to do.
Paint. Write. Draw. Sing. Create. Walk. Run. Dance. Play. Build. Rebuild.
Let your soul migrate.
What is stopping you? Fear? Of What? Someone criticizing your work? What if your work is the stuff that brings life to one person or a smile to one person’s face? What if your work isn’t for the masses but it’s to communicate something to your children? Perhaps your work is simply a gift so your friend, your grandchild, your co-worker has a piece of you to hang on to.
What is stopping you? Confusion? Just decide to do something. You’ll know if it’s not right. In fact it’s never right the first time, is it? You have to let the stagnate, warm, murky water flow before the cool, crystal clear refreshing stream begins. But if you never let the flow start, you’ll never get to the refreshing part.
What is stopping you? Fear of failure? What if you just went with it? What if all that negative stuff is just static? What if you did it any ways? What if success isn’t creating something amazing but becoming something amazing by overcoming the negative voices?
“Time!” We cry! “I don’t have time.” Sure you do. You may not have weeks on end but you have days, hours, and minutes. You have an evening to set aside. You have an early morning hour that will yield productivity. You have it – time and space. You also have the strength and the desire. It’s there. And there’s enough to do what you need to do. Trust it. It wouldn’t be calling if you weren’t capable of answering.
“But when I try I don’t like what I write.”
“When I play, I don’t like the way it sounds.”
“I don’t think my creations are beautiful.”
That’s okay. Sometimes it takes so much energy to fight the negativity that there’s little energy left to create good stuff. That’s okay. It’ll get better. Ann Lamott in “Bird by Bird” says in reference to writing, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something – anything – down on paper – you have to get out a lot of bad writing before the good stuff comes.” The same is true about any endeavour, just do what is in your heart to do for those few minutes you have to do it. It’ll never get better if you don’t and it will get better if you do.
Perhaps the point is that your soul is migrating and it needs you to begin to create
so you can face your obstacles and grow stronger as you overcome them.
What if the final creation isn’t the point? Perhaps the stretching of yourself to overcome the negative is the point. Perhaps the point is not the destination but that someone sees you struggle and has courage to tackle their own obstacles. Do birds ever question their migration? Are they ever riddled with self-doubt? Self-loathing? Stop stressing…Listen…it’s migration time.
Perhaps the beauty is in the struggle not in the finish line. Perhaps the strength gained in the migration informs the end goal. Perhaps the point is that your soul is migrating and it needs you to begin to create, so you can face your obstacles and grow stronger as you overcome them.
What if you just did it?
Paint. Write. Draw. Sing. Create. Walk. Run. Dance. Play. Build. Rebuild.
Let your soul migrate.
Join the Conversation:
What will you take the time to create this week?
When will you do it?
What are you willing to give up to make room for this? Let me know in your comments below.