Picked up a random poetry book From the crowded shelf. Quick easy hour read: Delight and wonder. Then, Found…
12 Days of Mindful Tips + Resources: Day 4 “Four Calling Birds”
“On the fourth day of Christmas, / My true love gave to me, / Four calling birds…” (The 12 Days of Christmas lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company).
Let us again review the past three days:
- Three French Hens=Heart, Mind, Soul
- Two Turtle Doves=Discovering Needs vs Wants
- One Partridge in a Pear Tree=Hope
Today is the Fourth Day of Christmas (according to Janelle’s Creative Life) and we focus on “Four Calling Birds.”
I dug a little deeper into the song and found out in the original version, “calling” was actually “colly”, a Latin word for “coal”. Researcher, Peter Armenti from the Library of Congress, explains, ““The Twelve Days of Christmas” was first published, likely after years of oral circulation, around 1780 in the book Mirth Without Mischief….” Armenti discovered in the original text that “colly” was used and that “The Oxford English Dictionary traces the word’s use as an adjective to describe something covered in coal dust, or the color of coal”. If the adjective to describe the birds is actually in reference to black birds than the “calling” or chatting birds I have always pictured, then surprisingly that ties into my lesson on self-discovery.
My daughter says, “First off, birds are terrible.” In my perspective, although birds, like crows or black birds, can be a nuisance, I believe we have more in common with them then most of us imagine.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes,“American Crows are very social,sometimes forming flocks in the thousands. Inquisitive and sometimes mischievous, crows are good learners and problem-solvers, often raiding garbage cans and picking over discarded food containers. They’re also aggressive and often chase away larger birds including hawks, owls and herons.”
Key words from this description: “social,” “Inquisitive,” “good learners and problem-solvers.” This above pic of crows reminds me of a trio of high schoolers hanging out.
Now stay with me here! I see the crow as a human being: a creature who needs community.
Here is a poem for you to consider:
“Admit something:
Everyone you see, you say to them, ‘Love me.’
Of course you do not do this out loud, otherwise
Someone would call the authorities.
Still, though, think about this,
This great pull in us to connect.
Why not become the one who lives
With a full moon in each eye that is always saying,
With that sweet moon language
What every other eye to this world is dying
To hear?”
What am I getting at today you wonder?
We cannot expect everyone to like us, nor can we expect to get along witheveryone, but we usually have a select few people in our lives that we can turn to for friendship. Like black birds, or crows, human beings are drawn to others. We want acknowledgement, friendship, love, and intimacy from other people. We cannot survive without basic human relationships. Numerous studies over the last 100 years have proven how touch and interactions with others helps us to grow healthy and mature mentally; Miami Herald author, Scott Berson, says, “One [study] found that children who grew up in orphanages away from traditional nurturing had much higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and another found that touch-deprived infants have abnormal levels of hormones that regulate social behavior.”
As you develop your root system centered on your hope, identify who in your life you consider to be a support person.
My first meeting with my counselor, she had me draw this graphic in my journal to identify the people in my life.
From red, strangers you meet for a moment, to blue for your family and purple for you, every person in your life has a specific place. Your closest friends and family are often the ones to support you.
(For more info on this image, visit the tutorial here.)
Your assignment is to create your own such chart and identify someone inyour green or blue circle who is the one person you know you can talk to about anything. This is someone with whom you can call at any time when you need someone to just listen or give you help. Who is this person to you, your life line? How does this person fit into your root system, your tree?
Tomorrow, we will work on the fifth day, “Five Golden Rings.”
Bonus:
“Human Relationship (II) Foundation Part: Managing Cyber-friendship” – This is a great resource for children and teens about identifying distinctions between cyber friendships and face to face friendships.
References:
Armenti, Peter. (2016, December 21). “Is it ‘Four Calling Birds’ or ‘Four Colly Birds’? A ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ Debate”. Retrieved December 8, 2018, from https://blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2016/12/is-it-four-calling-birds-or-four-colly-birds-a-twelve-days-of-christmas-debate/.
Berson, S. (2017, November 28). “How often you hold your baby actually affects their DNA, study finds”. Retrieved December 8, 2018, from https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article186889938.html