Birds and Boosters

American Tree Sparrow.

“ The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind.”
- Carly Simon

I had no medical appointments to get to this week, which was a welcome respite. I managed to get quite a bit done around the house, mostly monotonous tasks that I had been putting off for a bit too long but it felt good to get them done. I am not a fan of clutter so decluttering is a constant objective for me. Like the old saying goes, “if you don’t use it…… “.

I also made time for my favorite hobby, bird photography. My photos were taken through grungy windows (like the one above), but it has been far too cold for outdoor photography, at least for me. We provide an abundance of food and a heated water source for birds and critters during the winter, so there is almost always something going on outside my windows, no matter the weather.
I also enjoy using texture layers with my photos, as it allows me to create an artistic look and feel to the images. It’s a bit like painting, only not quite as messy and I had forgotten how very enjoyable creating photo art can be.

We finally checked getting our Covid boosters off our to do list, and that was a large relief. Since we live in a very rural area, there are only a few places that offer vaccinations, and my window of time to get the booster before my next surgery was growing shorter by the day. As an immunocompromised person, I have been extremely careful during the entire pandemic and am often the only one wearing a mask when I make a quick dash into our regular shopping places.

On a trip back from downstate recently, we stopped at our favorite meat market for a small order. My husband was busy rearranging the coolers in the back of the car, so I went inside. When I approached the checkout with the box in my arms, at least 3 unmasked men asked if I needed help taking the box out to my car, which I appreciated.
I politely declined but what I really wanted to say was “if you really want to help people like me that are fighting multiple illnesses, please wear a mask.”
It’s not that hard and surely isn’t a sign of weakness, rather a sign of caring about someone other than yourself.

But, I can not control what others think, say and do. I can only care for myself and my loved ones. I say the serenity prayer silently quite often, an old habit that I picked up during time spent in recovery for substance abuse. I find it fits most any situation.

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.