Sunday, July 5, 2009

Kindred Spirits Calling Out

The parakeet in the living room is stimulated to sing by two things. One is the sound of running water. Something about that must remind him of home.

The second is when the screen door or the window is open and he hears other birds and starts talking back to them, calling out to them. He cannot see them from his cage in the living room and they cannot see him from the trees and shrubs, or up on the roof. Still, the call and response is their songs.

Yet he recognizes the familiar sound of like creatures calling to him. He calls because he knows there are kindred spirits out there, and when they call back, they encourage him. He must think that one day he will get to meet them, fly with them and do what birds do when they get together.

How many people are like that? Kindred spirits calling out, knowing that there are others like them out there somewhere, and if they keep on calling, who knows, one day they will meet in person. The difference is that the parakeet is not able to open his cage. People can open theirs and they can see who is out there who sounds like someone they would like to meet.

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