The Oasis

Stress Is for the Birds!

With the first major cold and snow of the season pounding the Eastern U.S. seaboard this weekend, many of us will choose to stay inside where it's warm, rather than venture out into the cold for a walk. The weather, which has been unseasonably warm over much of the country, is finally feeling like February.

Many people have not even bothered to put up a winter birdfeeder this year. But with the cold, plus a little encouragement from the National Bird Feeding Society, I finally got my feeder scrubbed and ready for its sunflower seed refill.

Feeding wild birds is an extremely popular activity, and for good reason. While there are many benefits to the birds of course, humans gain from this as well. Watching birds at the feeder is a wonderful way to reduce stress and is one of the best ways to help chidren learn about nature.

Some individuals have voiced concern over the Avian flu in wild birds and wonder if setting up a feeder will put themselves or their families at risk. According to Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, "There is no need to stop watching, feeding or attracting birds to your yard because of the bird flu."

So get out there and hang a feeder. Then sit back and let these feathered jewels bring some joy into your life!

Fresh Eyes

What would it be like to see the world with the eyes of a child? To look at something as if seeing it for the first time? Most of us go through our days without paying particular attention to our surroundings, especially if we are at home or in a familiar place.

But just last week, my 83 year old mother got a second chance...a chance to see the world anew. Her doctor had told her months earlier that she needed cataract surgery, but she was nervous about getting it done. Finally, she had the procedure and what was dull and dim suddenly became vibrant with color and detail. Sitting in the doctor's office at her post-op checkup, she exclaimed, "Just look at the blue of those cabinets!" Later, on the drive home, even the bareness of the winter landscape caused her to stare out the window and exclaim again, "The pines are so green...I just didn't realize how much I was missing!"

Have our own eyes become fogged over with familarity or clouded by the mundane?

Do we have to wait until we need cataract surgery to have the experience of seeing the world with fresh eyes? Do we realize how much we are missing?

Fortunately, seeing anew doesn't require a surgical procedure...just a slight change in attention.

Take a moment, right now, to look around you. Then pick a color, red for example and quickly let your eyes go to all the red objects in your surroundings...that dark red vase on the table, the crimson binder on that book, the red car parked in the driveway that you can see from your window, the flashing red of the cardinal at the bird feeder. You get the idea.

Then pick another color and repeat the process. This is called color seeing. Try this next time you are outside as well. You will be surprised at how this simple exercise can renew your senses.

Take a look at your world with fresh eyes...and see the world anew!