Being & Birds

My favorite self-help book is the “Language of Emotions” by Karla McLaren. Although this book has nothing-to-do-whatsoever with birds, birds are known to cause a range of emotions. And you’ll need to know how to deal with those emotions if you want to have a healthy and integrated whole-being life. For example, what a joy to see those woodpeckers and jays in your yard or at your feeder. But when you’re witnessing the reality of the bird-eat-bird world, anger, fear, or sadness might be the most potent emotions. Another emotion that can crop up with any lister might be the utter disappointment (perhaps anger or sadness) when you don’t find your target species after a good deal of travel. Learning how to use new gear, capture/edit photographs, and learning how to tag your eBird friends on a checklist you’ve already submitted are all sources of emotional prosperity that you can learn to welcome and channel.

I can’t imagine sharing anything more important with you than this. This book combined with therapy was life-altering for me. I hope this lands with someone who needs and deserves it, too.