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| Birds As Teachers
by Mary Wilson When I began my venture into the hobby of keeping pet birds, I never imagined that birds could teach me anything. In my arrogance, I assumed that once I learned all about bird care, then that would be the last thing I needed to learn, until new information about bird care came along. Since then, I have kept several species of birds and learned much to my delight, that birds are teachers, too. I never thought much about the concept of unconditional love. Instinctively, I had always accepted my birds for who they were, not caring if I had a talker, or if my bird could perform amazing tricks. Sure, I envied those owners' who had Amazons or Greys, but I never hated my parakeets and parrotlet because they couldn't speak. The idea seemed abhorrent to me. I began working on an article about this very topic for another publication, when it dawned on me that I needed to apply unconditional love in all areas of my life. My husband and I had been having our difficulties, nothing major, but the little riffs that happen during a marriage. I had been trying to make him into my image of the husband, just like the bird owner hating her bird because he didn't speak the way she wanted him to. Once I realized this, I immediately began to rectify the situation. Birds teach tolerance. In the wild, the flock cares for all members as long as they are able. Birds do not care if one's shade of blue is brighter than the other, nor do they care that your hair is mussed from a night's sleep, or you are cleaning the bird room in your old robe. Birds love regardless of differences. Listening to grackles greet the morning sun on a spring morning fills a bird lover's heart with joy. Even the sparrows hopping from one bird feeder to another brings a smile on a bird lover's face. So, too, does walking into your bird room to hear a cheerful "Hello," from a pet parrot, or even the joyous chirps that mean the bird recognizes you. Birds have many things that they can teach us humans, if only we take the time to listen.
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