Hooray for the Brown Birds

On the Jukebox:"Songbird" by Eva Cassidy
Mood: Bueno!
Quote:"Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful." ~ John Wooden
Flair: Eva Cassidy

One of my favorite authors, Henry Van Dyke wrote, "Use what talents you possess: The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." You've probably never heard of Henry, but around the turn of the last century he wrote a book call "The Blue Flower" which is a collection of short stories including the touching and popular "The Other Wise Man." Oh yeah, that Henry Van Dyke...

Recently I've been pondering what he said about the silent woods. I'd heard this quote paraphrased where it was only the pretty birds who sang. That's how I like to think of it. Often times we feel that someone else can do something better than we can, so we leave it for them to do. This is a bad thing because it cheats the world out of so many unique voices. I remember reading somewhere that the bright yellow canaries don't sing as much as their drab counterparts. Interesting... I thought about that for a while and decided that the more colorful the bird, the less often I associate songs with them. I have no idea if parrots or peacocks even sing. They are colorful birds that attract the eye, but what sort of talents do they possess?

Today's entry is dedicated to little brown birds that fill the woods with song. They may not be the famed nightingale that graced the emperor's courts and won the hearts of the people, but their voices combine into a cacophony of lovely sound that make this world a better place. To put it simply, every one's contributions are needed. Every body has a talent to contribute and it doesn't matter if it is the same as another's. What matters is that we share it. Let your voice be heard.

The late Eva Cassidy was a brown bird. Record producers didn't think she was showy enough to offer her a label and the world almost missed out on a wonderful and unique voice. Eva was shy and humble about her gift. She played for family and friends and in small clubs. I love her version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" because of the touching story behind it. It goes right to the heart of recognizing beauty and talent - which I plan to write another entry on soon. You can check it the story and my favorite Eva songs on my youtube playlist below. Note: you can skip the Nightline segment and just see a few of my favorite tunes or watch it all, which I highly recommend. If you hold your mouse over the bottom it should tell you the names of the items in the playlist.

The truth is that in our daily lives, every brown bird is actually another sort of a bird. I'm not the graceful white swan that some of my dancing friends are. Nor am I the industrious robin redbreast that feathers her nest like my friends who are organized and prepared in all things. I'd love to be the happy duck or the mother hen, but I'm not and admire my friends who are contented with their role as homemakers. I love my silly goose friends too because they teach me to appreciate a good sense of humor. I am not the beautiful blue peacock that wears fashions so well or possesses natural beauty. I'm a white peacock that so many didn't even know exist because the other kind of peacock's plumage dazzles them. I like being a plain white bird because it makes me think of using my skills to build up the kingdom and being a virtuous woman dressed in Temple white. One more thing: white peacock feathers make excellent writing quills!