“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”

– Henry Van Dyke

I was thinking this weekend about how we appreciate the unique qualities that other people possess and at the same time have disdain for our own differences.  We judge beauty and ugliness by some sort of unspoken rule that seems to hang in the air we breathe and becomes a part of the way we view others and the world around us.  If you strip away the atmosphere that makes us want to see things as others see them, the truth about superficial beauty and superficial ugliness is that they are simply differences — differences that are striking enough that those who possess them stand out in a crowd.

Suppose that instead of hanging judgments on the differences that command our attention, we just saw them as variety.  Which of us doesn’t like a little variety to make our life more interesting or more exciting?  For people who are prone to complain that we are bored, we sometimes settle for sameness rather than risk having our own unique qualities seen by others.  I know that I certainly appreciate the writing of others to my own which, much like my children, never seems quite finished.

I spent some time this Fall sitting alone in the woods.  It was a wonderful opportunity to listen to the sounds of the birds.  The sparrows and the thrush, such plain little brown fellows, sing like the angel choir of the bird world.  The robin’s trills are pleasing to hear; but when he is showing off his red breast, he usually is silent.  The cardinal and the jay like to shout rather than sing melodies; and often they hide deep inside the branches of the trees.  But it is their harsh calling that attracts our attention to their magnificent colors that show us a different sort of beauty.

We use the term, “birdbrain,” to refer to someone who is not very smart.  I think we could take a lesson from the birds.  What they might lack in intellect, they make up for in the wisdom that frees them to offer all the beauty that defines who they are.  Imagine how different our lives might be if we embraced the variety that is humanity.  Imagine how different our lives might be if each of us felt free to express the beauty that defines us and not worry that it might not be enough.  There is always someone watching or listening when beauty enters the world.  There is always someone who might take in what we have to offer and incorporate it into their own expression.  If you don’t believe me, just ask the mockingbird.

Sing your beauty!