Flashback

It was a very warm day in Raleigh, North Carolina last Sunday when I, along with a friend of mine and a few others, including two great dogs, went on a hiking venture at one of the state parks. It had been a while since I’d had the opportunity to hike, with actual hills and mountainous areas. Florida has lots of parks and reserves where you can walk and see wildlife, but it’s nothing quite like the scenery and elevation of North Carolina. It was peaceful with an occasional breeze, but it didn’t take long before I started to show visible signs of perspiration.

This love and fascination for nature has always been there, but it has forced me to pay attention to things I might normally overlook.You might say that I am hyperaware of what is going on around me, which I believe is good. You never know. It was a couple days after the hiking experience that I was reflecting on it in conversation with my friend and I brought up an experience I’d had while at the library near home. The date was February 28, 2019, about four months earlier. I’d explained how I was there, providing tutoring for a student of mine and just as I was finishing up, I glanced out of the big glass windows that were essentially behind me. When I did, I saw the red cardinal. First of all, it is red, so how can you NOT see that? Second, I wondered for a brief moment, the chances of that cardinal being there on a normal ordinary day. It didn’t take long for me to realize that if it was normally there, today was no normal day. You can see first hand the actions of the cardinal. My student and I are whispering dialogue trying to figure out what may have been going on. Of course, we had no definitive answers.

Being the learner that I am, I had to look up the significance of such a brightly colored bird, specifically its red color. Caring Cardinals identified that the cardinal tends to show up during times of great difficulty or challenge. They could also be visible as a result of celebration. I will say that back in 2013, when my father passed away, I recall very vividly the sequence of events. While my father was not buried anywhere in the yard or close vicinity of the house we were in, he did plant quite a bit before he passed away. The farmland was ripe for great results. Not even a month after he passed away, the leaves of many of the things he planted began to produce fruit…the grapes, the peaches, the pears, and the strawberries, to name a few. I’d also noticed that cardinals would find their way to my view, whether conveniently perched in a tree, or flying right in front of my face. Additionally, there would sometimes be cardinal cardinals (meaning multiple of them). Every time I saw one I thought of my dad and the reminder.

The term cardinal also refers to a leader in the Roman Catholic religion. The fact that the robes worn by these leaders are red, signifies ‘covering’ and a reminder that there is no need to worry about anything, because everything would be all right. (Source) They are, as signs, of good things. Also, cardinal can be used to define some types of numbers, specifically those numbers that show quantity.

Fast Forward to Today

Our cardinal conversation from North Carolina was brought back to my attention today as my friend saw a cardinal that quickly landed and took off again. He said that the bird-feeder below was the reason for its arrival and perhaps his coming was the reason for the departure. It makes you think about things around us a bit differently when the seemingly random sightings make you pause and reflect. Maybe they have a deeper and altogether more glaring purpose than we realize.

Cardinal Conversations

I was reminded of conversations and how powerful they can be. Not only is there power in conversations, but there is power in cardinal, or frequent conversations. There is power in connecting through social conversations as human beings, because by our very nature, we are social. I think about how Journey to the Y in You became a thing, because of conversation. I think about current writing projects that are gaining wings because individuals had a conversation. The conversation about the cardinal reminded me of my father, who worked tirelessly to be an example and role model. It reminded me of the fact that even during the most difficult times in life, and yes there have been some, that I am not alone. Isn’t it comforting to know that you can reach out and touch someone, even if it is virtually in a conversation?

When I think of current events, I can’t help but wonder about all of the good that is coming out of this and that will come out of this. Yes, I know it seem to happen by surprise and catch us all off guard, but I wonder how many more conversations we have had that we didn’t have time for prior to this. I know a lot has happened that is not good, but let us shift our focus to what is. How much more have you sent text messages, had Facetime, Google Hangout or Zoom calls to ease the burden felt during this time? How much more valuable are the cardinal conversations? Just like the cardinal in that reminded me that though it was difficult, things would be okay, I wonder how the need to have conversations and actually have them, has encouraged you.

In addition to this time out of the public spaces, it really has been a time of self-reflection and introspection for me. It has made me consider what really matters. It reignited the flames for things I was/am passionate about. It has allowed me to see myself. It has allowed me the opportunity to reach out to people, during a time when there are so many challenges. It has reminded me of the sobering fact that obstacles are nothing but guideposts that affirm your path. Opposition is the indication that we are headed in the right direction. Maybe we will look at obstacles a bit differently, not ignoring their encumbering character, however there is always something to gain from it, in this case, the power of conversations. Make it Cardinal!

The first video below was the ‘greeting’ of the red cardinal. The second of the videos is what I didn’t expect to happen. It was striking and at the same time, made me wonder what the significance of this experience was.