Too Much?

It rained until almost noon on Friday after having begun as a cozy indoor morning with extra cups of coffee. It was the Great Backyard Bird Count annually promoted by the Audubon Society. From my own protected perch indoors I spotted a couple of sparrows taking cover in the bougainvillea waiting for a break in the rain. They were hungry but weren’t keen on dining in a downpour.

Rummaging through the hall closet I found the broken umbrella I’d been reluctant to throw away. Though it no longer worked for me it would still provide decent rain coverage for the hanging feeders outside. And the reward for rigging it up in the rain turned out to be the visitation of more birds than I could count on this day of the Audubon event.

Later that afternoon, after the rain had stopped and the blue skies returned, I ventured out for a walk to the clubhouse. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the palm trees all danced, making the most amazing rustling sound. The air was super charged with negative (in a good way), mood-lifting ions.

And then I saw my shadow. A modern version of Alice in Wonderland after those few bites of cake made her way too tall. The mask I carried on my walk was not 3 feet in length nor were my legs as long as the towering palms though they appeared to be.

It got me thinking about being too tall, too short or too loud or too pushy or too anything for that matter. What if we channeled our “too” characteristics into purposeful good?

Accused of reading too much? Use it to research, discover and inform. Too tall? Use your height to reach where others cannot or dare not. Too emotional? Feel the feels and harness your ability to experience emotions by showing empathy towards the weak, the angry, the fearful or timid folk you know. Too pushy? Break down walls, open doors for others who never developed the knack.

The gifts we possess may manifest in a seemingly unconventional way. These “too much characteristics” that we all have a few of do indeed have a redeeming nature when repurposed for good.

Strange as it seems to the unscientific mind its the negative ions that are indeed the mood lifting ones.