"Believe the Bird"
{What lies ahead for you is a road of gains and losses, between which you will make your home. This making of a home will most likely be the most creative and individual act of your lives. Why creative? Because there is not really any kind of guidance for it other than your own, so you must use your intuition, intention, and practice. John J. Audubon, in the preface to his guide to birds in America, reminds us that “If the bird and the book disagree, believe the bird.” Use your own inner light to shine your way, to stand straight, to stand right up, and stand light and firm on the ground you’re claiming for yourself, the self you are becoming. Take IN the whole scene of your life, as it unfolds. And, “I urge you” said the writer Kurt Vonnegut, “to please notice when you are happy.” Which means, to actually notice when all is well for the moment, when the air is clear.}
-- An excerpt from a speech by the extraordinary visual artist and MacArthur Fellow Anna Schuleit Haber
This particular excerpt of her speech spoke to me (for obvious reasons) that I just had to post it here so I could easily read it many times to remind me of what I already know but sometimes forget. And, maybe someone out there needed to be reminded too.
