Hovering in the Moment

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 14 Comments

“Hummingbird darts lightly through the world, spreading its message of joy and beauty, and teaching us to appreciate the wonder and magic of everyday existence. Hummingbird brings the gift of joy. Learn to laugh and be happy.” ~Unknown author

This week has gone by in a flash as I’m working hard on trimming down my work in progress by editing out all but the necessary words. Anyway, I just realized I let Wednesday slide by without a post. So I reached into my archives and pulled out this one from five years ago about hummingbirds, but it’s still good today. Hope you don’t mind the replay.

I love seeing hummingbirds. The little birds do seem nearly magical as they hover and drink from the throats of flowers. Just the sight of them or the sound of them buzzing past my head brings a smile. I put out a feeder every year to attract the little jewels of nature to my porch. The ruby-throated hummer is the only one I’ve ever seen in this area, but he’s a beauty. And a wonder as shown in this quote.

“The ruby-throated hummingbird is a wonder of migration. Every winter it makes an amazing journey. Some have been known to make a journey of 2500 miles or more, from Alaska to Central America. Because of it, the hummingbird is a symbol for accomplishing that which seems impossible. It will teach you how to find the miracle of joyful living from your own life circumstances.” ~ Ted Andrews

The one in the picture is a female. Amazingly enough, every spring the very first time I see this hummer or one like her is when she buzzes my office window as though to tell me, “Okay, I’m here. Get with it and put that feeder out.” I obey her command and don’t see her at my window again. At least not until I have flowers in my window boxes. Then she just works through the flowers and ignores the window. Unless I let the feeder run dry the way I did today. And here she is, not sipping from the flowers, but instead hovering on the outside of my window and staring straight at me as if to say, “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you know a hummingbird has to eat?” Needless to say, the hummingbird feeder is freshly cleaned and filled this evening.

One more beautiful hummingbird quote.

“Hummingbird shows us how to re-visit the past for the purpose of releasing it instead of being caught in a permanently backward flight pattern. It also helps us to see that if we step aside we may see our life differently. Hummingbird teaches us to transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the moment, to appreciate its sweetness.” – Constance Barrett Sohodski

May we all hover in the moment and appreciate its sweetness. As always, thanks for reading.

Do you like to feed hummingbirds?

Comments 14

  1. I have tried it in the past but I’m afraid that I’m not as diligent as is required by these miniature giants. They do depend on that feeder being there for them. Since I forgot about it too often I quit. However, I did enjoy watching them when I remembered. 😊

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      I don’t have a food place to put the feeder that I can see it often, Karen, but I like to see them buzzing about. I may try putting up a second one this year if I can find a place I can see from my office windows.

  2. I haven’t seen hummingbirds yet in my yard or feeder. Did you see Nature on PBS Wednesday at 8? It was an entire hour about hummingbirds. Very good.

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  3. Yes, I enjoy seeing them and making sure the feeder is fresh! I haven’t seen mine in quite awhile.

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      I’ve seen a couple this year, Patricia, but I’m not sure they have come to my feeder yet. I’m going to clean it up tomorrow and put our new sugar water and hope they’ll come. Love watching them.

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      I had a friend who drew seven or eight hummers, but I never have more than three or four., Shelia, and there is always one that tries to run the others away from the feeder.

  4. I love hummingbirds. They are my favorite bird. My Daddy used to wear a red ball cap and they would fly all around his head. Mama and Daddy taught me to love the birds.

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      That would have been a fun video to have had, Melissa. I guess you all teased him about being so sweet even the hummingbirds loved him. 🙂

  5. I have several but haven’t seen them yet this year. There’s usually 4-5 tiny ones fluttering around, and one bigger one that seems to be the boss. Maybe it’s time to hang some feeders. I have lots of Rose of Sharon growing along my back patio and the fence row, but they’re not in bloom yet. The big pink blossoms will be a main attraction. And this year I’ve noticed an abundance of honeysuckle too. It promises to be a good year for what my granddaughter calls Fairy Birds.
    Thanks for the picture, Ann.. Does your hummingbird have a name?
    Have a great weekend!

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      I haven’t named my hummingbird, Lavon. Maybe that will be an entry for another Name the pet/bird game in the future. I think the hummingbirds were slower coming back this year because of all the cold weather. But I have seen a couple this year.

  6. Yes, I love watching them dart in and out when it is raining especially. They zoom under my porch and land on my grapevine I have for decoration. When they fight it cracks me up.

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      I like to watch them too, Lucy. They are brave little birds that will zoom right past your head. I’m sure they will be too fast for Frankie. At least I hope so. He does love chasing birds but so far hasn’t caught one. My son had a dog that could catch birds out of the air. I don’t want Frankie to learn that trick.

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