There are days when life sails by without a worry. You hardly think about issues and problems. Those days truly are a treasure. Then, in a matter of an instant, you’re suddenly living moment by moment.

How do we get from bliss to dealing with the bliss-less?

It’s called Life. And frankly, sometimes it seems so hard.

I started writing this about a month ago and then let it rest in my draft box. I suppose I was reacting to something that had been going on with my dad or maybe something I read about a friend on Facebook. Either way, we all have experienced this feeling.

For the last month, I have been joyfully watching a mother red cardinal prepare her nest for her babies. I’ve been enamored by the structure of the nest and even noticed a piece of plastic woven into to the intricate walls. At least this little piece of trash, which may have been someone’s misguided mistake or lack of effort, went to good use.

Every morning I cautiously peeked out my bedroom window to check on the latest progress. It became part of my morning ritual. One day I looked out my window and the Cardinal looked right back at me and flew away. I thought I scared her, which I suppose I did, but it was just for a brief moment. She later returned to my relief. Then a few days later, I looked out at the nest and saw that there were little eggs resting peacefully on the bottom. All protected and cozy warm. It was so sweet. Spring brought new life. How exciting!

About 2 weeks later, I looked out and saw 3 mini heads poking up in the air with their starving beaks batting and biting in the air waiting for a parent to return with something yummy to eat. More excitement and much wonder.

I planned on getting a camera out with a zoom lens today but as i looked out my window…the nest appeared empty. Now this has happened before. Sometimes I look out and see bobbing heads and sometimes those mini babies are down low asleep. I didn’t see any action so I thought that maybe they were laying low. I grabbed a chair to get a better look, this way I could look down into the nest and to my utter disappointment, the nest was empty. I was so sad. I felt awful for the mom. Granted, I have no idea how the mom feels, but I’m sure she’s a bit confused, lost and maybe even sad. I sure hope animals don’t have the emotions we have.

I remember yesterday, our dog Teaka was barking at a large bird that was swopping around our backyard. I wonder if he or she was the murderer. I know it’s part of nature, but it’s the part I really do not like! Growing up and even now, I can’t look at nature programs on TV when survival of the fittest is in play.

So now the mama bird is wandering around wondering what to do with her day. She had a built in purpose. Now her world went from bliss to bliss-less. Later in the day I saw mama Cardinal resting on her empty nest. So sad.

It’s kind of like getting that phone call that rocks your world in a matter of a moment and causes you to live moment by moment.

However, there is some good news. I read that Cardinals will breed 2-3 times per summer. She’ll probably not use this nest, but hopefully she’ll have some babies to enjoy and for us garden bird lovers to enjoy as well.

It certainly isn’t the ending I wanted. I wanted to see the babies fly the coop and live a long and cheerful life. But like I stated in the beginning, life isn’t always like that. For now, I will hope that this mama Cardinal finds a new mate (or the same mate, I really don’t care ;) and is able to reproduce another brood of baby chicks. Life will continue in my garden despite the sadness of nature. We all long for peace and harmony but it isn’t always that way.

As for today, I will look and listen for the birds and encourage my dog to chase away predators!

The image above is courtesy of Sam Weber.