The Bluebird

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bluebird with bright and radiant feathers. She would spend her days flitting and hopping around between the flowering trees and shrubs of a human family home in the country. The family would put seeds out for her and fill a ceramic basin with clean water to bathe and drink. The bluebird was content and safe. However, one day she noticed that four of her beautiful feathers had fallen out.
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She began to feel that her beauty was fading. She fluttered in front of a window to catch a glimpse of her reflection. If all of her feathers fell out, she wouldn’t be beautiful. She knew she could not fly if she were barren of feathers. She was heavy-hearted; she felt she would no longer enchant her beloved. She settled back into her nest adorned with her four astray feathers. She wanted to sing her alluring songs; her hopelessness silenced her melody.

Spring was gently making its way through the winter frost. As harsh as winter can be, it graciously steps aside for spring to make its way to Earth’s stage. Each day the air was warming, and the sun’s rays gently lay kisses on the bluebird’s face. She would put her head down to hide her face from the sun’s kindness. She did not feel she deserved such compassion. The breeze gently blew against the bluebird and whispered to her, “You are a precious bird, and your songs carry with me for everyone to enjoy.” She turned against the wind to block the genuinely kind sentiments. As she turned, she noticed two more feathers had fallen to the floor of her nest. Her heart sank with an unmeasurable weight of sadness.

She heard the familiar tune of her beloved in the distance. She gently tucked her fallen feathers under her to hope her love would not notice how unattractive she had become since they last saw each other. He gracefully flew to her side. As she moved over to make room for him, she secretly kept tucking her lost feathers beneath her. His melody rang through the forest of his loneliness without her and her timeless beauty. She felt embarrassed and hideous while he sang. How can he still love me?

Filled with despair and sadness, she flew away. She left the six of her fallen plumage behind. She went as far as her tired wings would carry her; far from sadness, far from false hopes, far from home. She arrived at an old cabin with beautiful flowers surrounding it. There was a perfect pitch in the roof to make a new nest. Build a new life.
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The older woman who lived in the simple cabin hung a bird feeder by her large living room window. Bluebird was curious about the treats awaiting her, but she did not want to see her gruesome reflection. She sat in her nest and debated whether the chance of seeing her reflection was worth the treats. One of the sun’s rays peeked through a crack in the pitch and left a kiss on her face; the breeze blew over her, whispering that it missed carrying her tune through the forest. She listened intently and could barely believe what she heard; it was him. He was singing his sweet melody. He stopped by the bird feeder and brought her some dried fruit pieces. They were as delightful as she imagined they would be. Together they flew to the feeder. She caught a glimpse of herself in the window. Her beautiful feathers have grown back. Brighter and more brilliant than she had remembered them being.
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She sang to her beloved while the sun caressed them both in its glow. The breeze happily carried the bluebird’s song to the forest. She felt whole again.

THE END

C. Lieberman & Mojha MacDowell

Sometimes we feel undeserving, and we see ourselves through false reflections. Once we see beyond those reflections that provoke unhappiness with or within ourselves, we will see clearly how deserving we genuinely are.