Encounter With A Hummingbird
Sometimes the most memorable experiences in life are unexpected. Spontaneously brief, a fleeting moment in time that happens on its own accord without effort , planning, scheming, or dreaming. A moment that unfolds like a Morning Glory flower petal responding to the first rays of sun that day. Without any conscious sense of design, you were there in that moment to bear witness. I had such an experience one summer evening working in my garden while the cooling rays of a descending sun lit up the intense colours of the Nasturtium patch I was kneeling in front of removing spent flowers.
This incredible experience lasted less than one minute, perhaps five blinks of an eye, but is so very vividly engrained in my memory. Every little detail is there for me to scrutinize, admire and reflect upon.
I was thinking about how my knees were getting a little bit uncomfortable and that perhaps I should change position ,when, I heard a whirring nose. Was that a child’s windmill toy being erratically rushed through still air? Soft and then dramatically loud as something whizzed unnervingly close to my left ear. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a small blurred missal. It disappeared into the neighbours garden, and while I was still attempting to sort out the sound , my left ear, and the blurry projectile, it returned, heading directly for my Nasturtium patch, reaching the nasturtiums faster than it takes to blink. Faster than I could think it stopped in mid air, poised a few inches above the outreaching petals of the largest nasturtium mound. And then my brain caught up and I realized it was a Hummingbird.
We stared at each other across the three foot expanse from my nose to the Hummingbirds…beak! And then my brain caught up to my eyes. Hummingbirds have an elegantly narrow elongated, slightly curved, and extremely sharp looking beak. An image of a sewing machine needle arose in my mind and I thought of how much it would hurt if that was jammed into my body.
And that is when the Hummingbird did a quick, sharp intimidating movement towards me, bridging the gap between us to about one foot, eye to eye. I involuntarily recoiled but desperately held onto my ground. The Hummngbird recoiled , back to three feet , then claimed a foot of territory such that we were now staring at each other from a two foot distance.
I think this Hummingbird was trying to tell me to move out of the way! He or She wanted the Nasturtiums!
I remained perfectly still. This was my garden! And I wasn’t going to be chased out! For what seemed like an eternity we both remained fixed and stationary, (except for the blurred whirring of wings of course). We contemplated our next move as we faced off, nose to beak.
I won the staring contest. The Hummingbird suddenly did a straight vertical drop behind the closest nasturtium mound and disappeared from sight. I waited with trepedition. Where did this feathery little missal go? Was this a scheming calculation to attack from an unknown direction? My senses were fully engaged as I waited for the unknown events of the future to unfold.
Suddenly after what seemed like an extended eternity , the hummingbird reappeared along the same vertical that it had dropped , poised at exactly the same height, once again involved with me in a staring contest nose to beak. This time I noticed the eyes, bright and intense, all-seeing, and in my state of heightened awareness, intelligent! I got the distinct impression that the hummingbird was laughing at me, well aware that his or her beak had the upper hand in our encounter.
The Hummingbird flew away, weaving in and out of beans, squash, and beet leaves , and disappearing into the recesses of my neighbours gardens.
If you think there is a morale, or point to this story I will tell you now that , aside from the Hummingbirds beak, there isn’t. It was a simple moment in time that lasted barely 30 seconds and was exceptionally memorable.