Have you talked to a macaw lately? We met up with one of these long-tailed parrots at Butterfly World, the largest butterfly park in the world located north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
We started our tour in the butterfly aviary and then came to the Macaw Landing where two of these colorful birds were grooming each other. It was quiet in the park because it had just opened, and we almost did not want to disturb the birds. But we knew they could live up to 70 years old, so we felt they might have some wisdom to share.
I asked one of the Macaws, “What do you have to say to us today?”
“No time like the present,” he answered telepathically to me, Anne.
“That is so true,” I said. “Many wild animals and birds have told us this over the years. What else would you like to say?”
“There is much to do around here – like grooming. We like each other.”
“We send you goodness,” I said.
“We do that all the time.”
“You send people goodness?”
“No, we are goodness. We don’t need to send it anywhere. We are that,” answered the macaw.
“Is there anything else you’d like to say?”
“Yes. You as a people could talk more from your hearts than your heads. That way we could talk to you more. When you talk from your heads you aren’t here with us. You float (in your past and future). You may think you are here with us, but you aren’t. If you want to be present, talk from your hearts.”
“How do you know this works?” I asked.
“We talk from our hearts. We are present and grounded. We are part of nature. Be who you want to be from your hearts and don’t mess around. You can get lost in your head and become ungrounded.”
I thought this was a bit blunt. They weren’t exactly rude but…
The macaw interrupted me asking: “Why are you interested in us?”
“Because you have wisdom and we are curious about that.”
“You have wisdom, too, when you are present,” the macaw said. “Don’t forget that.”
“Got it,” I said. “And we are more in our hearts after talking with you.”
“It shouldn’t be because of us. It should be because of you,” the macaw insisted. You decide what you want to be. Be present because it feels good to you.”
“OK” I said. “Thank you for being so straight forward!”
The other macaw piped in saying, “food’s coming soon.”
So, we thanked them for spending time with us and said our goodbyes.
“Anytime,” they responded.
We knew we wanted to be more in our hearts and this was a strong reminder. They gave us good advice. If we can be present in the moment, then we are grounded in our hearts.
That morning we had been in our heads stressing about the traffic on our drive to the Park. We wanted to be there when it opened before the crowds arrived so that we could quietly talk with the birds and butterflies.
The beauty of the butterflies calmed us down, allowing us to be more in the moment. And by the time we got to the macaws, we were more relaxed and more in our hearts. But they let us know we could do better, and they were right.
It is amazing how much wisdom birds have to share. They noticed our shortcomings and challenged us to improve ourselves. That is the sign of a true friend.
Reflection
Could you be more grounded and present in your heart at times?
We can all catch ourselves when our minds start drifting into the past or future and bring ourselves back to the present moment. It just takes continuous practice.
As the macaw said, “There is no time like the present.”
Magic happens in the now – the present moment. We can be in our hearts and be goodness in this present moment together. We would love to “be” a whole bunch of goodness together with you all. We can do this!