Coco Calling No.237 - Embracing the Moment for Change and Renewal

This is the time of year when I have a moult. And I see I’m not the only one; Lord Strutt, -our garden pheasant, -has suddenly lost his tail. And it must be such an embarrassment for him, as it’s right in the middle of the breeding season, when he’s meant to look his best. Poor fellow.

Moulting is a very itchy business as old quills wriggle free and new ones push through. It’s a time of change and renewal. And I tend to go a bit quiet while it’s all going on. So I often find myself sitting on my favourite perch, reading the newspaper that’s lining the bottom of my cage.

And human newspapers can be rather depressing; they rarely have happy headlines and are often little more than printed bundles of strife and woe. And so I found myself reading about the conflict in the Sudan, developments in the Russian-Ukraine war, and about human politicians behaving badly and then having to resign. And to be honest, it was enough to make all of my feathers fall out at once. If we only focus on the bad things going on in the human world, then we’ll all feel depressed and overwhelmed. I’m sure that if there was a parrot daily, it would be packed full of features such as the joy of eating chillies, the latest crest styles, as well as a ‘Love Bird’ column. For while we need to know what’s going on in the world, it’s my belief that unless something gives us pleasure, hope and joy, then it’s failing to fulfil its purpose.

And I reckon that humans need to look towards Jesus once again. Because everything that He did was ultimately for the good of mankind and creation. He brought a new kind of positivity into the world; He preached a message of love, fairness, peace and harmony. And above all, He gave hope to everyone of us. And that’s the sort of message that I’d like to read on a daily basis.

Because otherwise, the negativity of the human world becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. And many humans become so fixated with living their lives in this way, that they fail to see the sunlight, shining outside their manmade boxes. And to me that seems a waste of a life.

Perhaps regular moults aren’t such a bad thing after all. Because they give us time to stop and reflect about the world around us and the lives that we’re currently leading. As well as time for us to think about how much better it could be. So how do I get humans to start sprouting feathers??

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” (Mark Twain: 1835-1910: American writer and humourist)

“Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.” (Socrates: C470BC-399BC: Famous Greek philosopher)

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, -which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” (Steve Jobs: 1955-2011: American business magnate who was Chairman and co-founder of ‘Apple’).

“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” (Proverbs 27:19)

“Be very careful, then, how you live -not as unwise but as wise…” (Ephesians 5:15)