Little Things Can = A Big Deal

You have to understand that when I say that we "live in Chengdu, China," what I'm ACTUALLY saying is that we live in a teensy little apartment (not knocking it at all, just trying to put forth a realistic description of the circumstances) in the middle of a huge, HUGE urban city. 

Huge urban city as in: bigger than Chicago and New York City put together, I think.  Or something like that. 


There's nothing, like, nature-y around us here. No grass. No parks. Buildings don't really have flowers around outside or even any of the urban-y, pretty-fying landscaping we're used to in the U.S.  There's not really anything very... alive... here, other than people. (And there are lots of those.)

Most of the time, you can do an okay job telling yourself that the 100% urban-y landscape is... fine. That the fact that the only trees you see are dusty (don't know how else to put it) and that you see no flowers or animals (other than designer poofy small dogs that are people's pets) is... fine.

But a couple of weeks ago, I heard the STRANGEST sound. 


(And no, I'm not talking about the roosters that I hear crowing in the mornings. And yes, your brain needs to catch up and think through this one. 100% urban landscape of high-rise apartments + ROOSTERS CROWING = Chengdu.)


The strange, unfamiliar sound I heard was... chirping.


And my brain was all: There are BIRDS around here?!?! Could that be possible? Birds that haven't been eaten or otherwise caught and used for feathers?


And LO!


In a dusty tree near my apartment's tiny little balcony, I spotted movement that might have looked a lot like birdlike flight movement.


So I put pieces of bread and a small dish filled with water on my balcony.


And, a few days later, THERE WERE BIRDS outside my living room window:





And I freaked out with joy.  Absolute, unbridled, childlike manic JOY.


BIRDS! In CHINA!


CHINA!


Where they eat:


"Everything with four legs but the table, everything with two legs but each other, everything that flies but an airplane, and everything round but the bowl." 

Yes, the birds are skittish, as you can well imagine. Most of the time, when they see me near the window, they're all:





Outta there.


But sometimes I can watch them, even just for a little bit, before they're wise to me. 

And sometimes they watch me back:




 
And to me, this is a HUGE big deal.


We're talking MAJOR morale-boosting bonus points.


:)

 

Comments

[Kelly]

I so get this. You have no idea. Or maybe you do! We practically lived in the forest back in NoVA, and every morning it was like that scene in Snow White with all the critters jumping and flying around. I don't think there is anywhere in Europe like that, and definitely not anywhere near a city apartment! So, I put out a birdfeeder and when after a few days a couple of little birds showed up I was so totally, irrationally, happy! (So was the cat!)

[Melissa]

Love that the birds are gathering outside your apartment! It really is the little things that keep us going each day!

[shannon]

Sometimes it truly is the little things that can make you smile. So glad you have made some birdie friends.

Are you windows the type you could use one of those feeders that suction cup to the window? You could pick some up while you are in the states this summer.

[TG]

Oh, wow! Wow, wow! Wonderful!