My first blog back, I need to give a big shout out to something that has been very present in my life lately: hummingbirds. Totally dorky, I know. But they have become a big symbol of my life lately. And it all started my second day living in Arizona. Bare with me...
My second day in AZ was my very first day at work. New teacher orientation. The superintendent of our school met with us and gave a welcome speech. Part of her speech was a little story that went something like this:
"A fire broke out in a large forest in South America. The fire was so great that many died. It raged on for days and days, with no end in sight. All of the animals raced out of the forest, avoiding the flames as best they could. As they all looked at the forest from a distance, saddened by the loss of their home, they noticed that a hummingbird was flying towards the fire. They all roared and shouted to stay away, but it flew to the forest anyways. A few minutes later, it returned. And then flew back. And so it went like that for a few moments, until another animal asked the hummingbird what it was doing. The hummingbird replied, "I'm taking water to the forest to put out the fire." The animal said in return, "silly hummingbird, you are so small, and your beak can only hold a few drops of water. You'll never put out the fire. Just give up!" The hummingbird smiled, got a few more drops of water, and flew straight to the fire. When it returned, it said proudly to the animals, "I may not be able to put out the ENTIRE fire, but I can surly do my part. Won't you?"
And so it is with teaching...and life.
As a teacher, I can't teach or help every single kid, but I try.
As a friend, I may not be able to provide advice for every problem, but I try.
As a daughter, I don't always show my parents how much they mean to me, but I try.
As a sister, I don't call my brother as much as I should, but I try.
As a Christian, I don't always do what Christ asks of me, but I try.
As a human being, I don't always treat others how I want to be treated, but I try.
Now for a few short stories on how the hummingbird has been my symbol in life. After I heard the story at orientation, I thought "wow, that story was super corny," and didn't think much more of it. A few days later, my mom and I were STILL apartment hunting for me. We had visited at least 10 places in 2 days (it felt like more...) and our last stop was Camden San Paloma. As we pulled in, I noticed the sign had a hummingbird on it. The story from my superintendent popped into mind, but I brushed it off. When we toured the apartment, I immediately fell in love. I KNEW it was the apartment I was supposed to live in. As I was signing my lease, I saw the hummingbird again, and thought "this has to be some kind of sign."
A few weeks later, I was feeling SUPER homesick. I had talked to my family and they were just lounging at home, watching a movie and ordering pizza. I wanted so badly to just be lazy at home with my mom, dad, and brother. I cried myself to sleep that night, wondering if I made the right choice moving to AZ. The next morning (Sunday), I realized I needed some retail therapy, so I headed over to the amazing Fashion Square mall in Scottsdale. I spent more $$ than I should have, but the retail therapy still wasn't working. I kept texting my mom, telling her how much I missed her and couldn't wait to visit home. The last store I stopped in was Charming Charlies, a cute little accessories store. As I was browsing, I spotted a necklace of a hummingbird. For $5.95, I busted out my wallet and bought that hummingbird necklace.
Later that night, I looked up the hummingbird online to find out exactly what hummingbirds symbolize in life. And I found this:
"In Native American culture, a hummingbird symbolizes timless joy and the Nectar of Life. It's a symbol for accomplishing that which seems impossible and will teach you how to find the miracle of joyful living from your own life circumstances."
Sometimes I feel life is a little impossible. Grading, lesson planning, disciplining, keeping my cool under high stress, having some kind of personal life, missing home, paying bills, etc. It's a lot to tackle. But I am determined and resilient. Just like a hummingbird. Sometimes the path I'm on seems like it's heading straight for a large forest fire. But instead of sitting back and being afraid, I see signs in my life that keep pushing me forward, determined to do SOMETHING to make it right in life.
Glad to be back, blogosphere. :)
xoxo
