Birds on the fence

I was mowing my lawn when I saw a couple of birds on my fence. They were the same birds that I remembered my wife was telling me about. They usually sit there in the morning, not minding my dog’s bark, until afternoon. And since I normally sleep-in during weekends, by the time I got up these birds had long been gone.

They were two birds; my wife thought they’re partners. They’d snuggle each other under each other’s wings. And after a while the male flies away, leaving the female behind. Surprisingly, she never leaves the spot where he left her. After few minutes, the male would come back and they would do some ‘tweet tweet’ together, do a couple of slow walk here and there, and then snuggle again. Occasionally the male bird flies to my dog’s little hut. My dog, Elmo, will just give it an exhausting look as it snatches some of his food. I couldn’t blame my dog for not moving a single muscle; he must be tired barking all day at these birds.

As I watch them I couldn’t help but think of the human relationship. Are we like these birds that snuggle under each other’s arm, sing “tweet tweet” together, and wait for our partner when they go somewhere? Are we willing to risk our lives and snatch food from a loud and hyperactive dog that any moment we could be caught and might end up just one of his toys? What if we die while we’re searching for food, will our partners wait and not look for us? Will our partners die waiting?

I read in the newspaper 6 out 10 marriages ended in divorce and/or separation. If the divorce rate is high, why do we get married then? What is the secret of a long lasting relationship? Should we consider this statistic as basis of our relationship? If so, are we ready to be alone for the rest of our lives? What can ascertain our marriage to last forever, if not forever, well at least until we withered?

As I was driving to pick up my wife today, these nagging questions keep playing in my head. I can’t seem to find all the answers. I even questioned why I got married. When my wife got on and started talking how her day went, I felt like the light bulb in my head suddenly turned on. And then I looked at my wife, kissed her and told her ‘I love you!’ She asked me how come I suddenly became very sweet. I just smiled back and asked her to continue telling me how her day went. Not that I’m not listening to my wife, I just suddenly found the answer to my nagging questions - love, no matter what shapes or forms, does magical things to people… it has special powers that move people into action…. it has the softest voice that people listens to and follows without coercion, and it has the most delicate touch that everyone longs to feel. LOVE allows everyone to be like those birds on my fence…. because love is not a feeling, but energy that fuels us to do and not to do certain things.



Picture: Thailand, 2005