How Robins and Dreams Fly!

#EinsteinandFriends By Bruce Mayfield, BSCS, MBA, MSPsy, Contributing Writer & Photographer

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACT: One of the basic steps in

“happiness and well being”, is to treat yourself –

“like someone you love”.

Over “the Holidays”, in the Spirit of Love and “well wishing” to others – we dare wish for ourselves – New Year’s Resolutions. You might say, this year, I’m going to lose weight… (and everyone yawns, yeah right, me, too).

Then January jolts us into a reality check – flooding our “wishing wells” and flushing our “resolutions” – with winter storms, shoveling snow, sniffles, bills, and taxes; and, we find ourselves scouring the pantry shelves for Christmas fudge or Gingerbread cookies – that we “just know” we hid – for emergency use only. 

In short, in the fray of life, our patience panics – in reaching our goals; and, worse yet, we choose “self-destruction” over “self-love”. Where are those blasted potato chips!!!

We forget – growth (i.e., successful resolution) is slow – and at first, full of failures – until at last – our successes out-number our failures; and then – it becomes our choice, our option – our RESOLUTION – to succeed – one step at a time, every step in its own time, each step better each time – until we dare to run – and our dreams take flight!

An example of “resolution” was when Einstein, Carol and I – raised a robin.

In late spring of 2020, a fierce wind blew a small fledgling robin from its nest. Carol and Einstein found the little robin collapsed – dehydrated and starving. The bird knew only how to open its mouth for food; and, for what food – we had no clue.

We exhausted all community options to help the baby robin – because, he was not on an “endangered list”; however, we could not tell this baby robin – he was not endangered; therefore, it was OK – for him – to die. 

Carol and I “resolved” (like a New Year’s Resolution) to shoulder caring – for this fledgling – with the idea of releasing it into the wild.

What we learned was, “resolve” is – slow and omnipresent and hard – at first! However, armed with an eyedropper of water – and an old parrot cage – we were “resolved” to “raise a robin”.

PSYCHOLOGICAL NOTE: Naming “the problem” is the first step in SOLVING “the problem”. 

NAMING THE PROBLEM – personalizes the problem; freeing “reciprocal intelligence” – the highest form of human intelligence – to empathize – as if you, YOURESELF, were experiencing THE PROBLEM, too. Empathy is key to defining a problem. 

Only “sympathy” – having actually survived the problem your-self – is better.

NAMING THE SOLUTION is the second step. Problems don’t fix themselves. People solve problems; and, if it is meant to be; it is up to WE – and it starts with ME. 

So, we named the problem (the starving baby robin) – Joshua. 

And, Carol and I named the solution – WE – Joshua’s adoptive parents.

Thus, WE, Carol and I, together – owned – both “the problem” and “the solution”.

Carol and I had no idea what we had signed up for – to raise a robin. My fantasy – of giving the bird a plate of diversified organic seeds and a cup water – evaporated. Researching the diet of robins, we found – they eat worms, bugs, berries and certain fruit; and, that a mother robins regurgitates partially digested food into their fledging’s mouth.

Carol, the fruit lover in the family, rejected matronly regurgitational bonding with Joshua, and thus, took upon herself the task of finding a worm in the yard. To my surprise – Carol did, actually, find a worm! 

Joshua was crazy about the worm – chirping wildly for more; where upon I was sent to the friendly neighborhood “bait and tackle” store – to BUY WORMS! 

NOTE: I could not believe the variety and price of domesticated worms!

That same day, we ‘squished” (a medical term) a ripe gooseberry and offered it to Joshua – again we were rewarded with “chirping” – like the biggest “thank you” – in the world (of a baby robin).

INTRA-SPECIES BONDING: Einstein was enchanted by Joshua, and insisted on eating a crushed berry or two – not the first choice in canine cuisine. Berries being in short supply, we resorted to giving Einstein a pellet of dog food for each berry we gave Joshua.

Joshua, took interest in Einstein’s dog food – which he could not eat – until we soaked a few pellets in water. Joshua loved damp dog food. Suddenly, Einstein and Joshua were bonding – each taking turns – eating a pellet of damp dog food.

BACK TO RESOLUTIONS: Baby robins do NOT know – how to pickup a berry from the ground, and eat it, much less, pick a berry from a bush – and eat it. They would starve – if you just set a worm in front of them, on the ground. 

RESOLVED to “raise a robin”, WE had to teach Joshua – first to take a squished berry from our finger tips; later, to move forward to eat the squished berry – later, to take the berry from a lower position; and, then to eating a crushed berry from the ground; and, then – to eat a whole, “un-squished”, berry” – from our fingers; etc. Then Carol taught Joshua to pull berries from a bush – and eat them – while riding on her arms and shoulders.

One step at a time, every step in its own time, each step better each time – until Joshua dared pick a berry from a bush – for himself!

Joshua also learned to “dig worms” from Carol – yet another story!

So what has RESOLVE raising a robin got do with YOUR RESOLUTIONS?

This January, this year, I just want to encourage you – to dare to treat yourself “like someone you love”. Dare to dream a better you, a better life – taking the first step – and then another – one step at a time, every step in its own time, each step better each time – until, in due time, you dare to run – and then fly – like Joshua did! (But that’s another story.)

Have a Blessed and Successful

New Year!

Sincerely,

Einstein and Friends

(Joshua, Carol, and Bruce) n