Winged Wisdom

The other day I decided to take a walk in my neighborhood. I currently live in the Presidio of San Francisco, so one would think I would take more walks than I actually do. I am in the process of leaving for a while, so… In an effort to soak in all that I have been missing, I took a stroll through the back woods not far from the apartment.

On this contemplative roaming,  I came across what seemed to be words in the distance. I thought, surely, I must be imagining things. Who would plant giant words here? As I neared the words they started constructing a sentence. “Resolve conflict with song”, it read.

This was unusual at least. I was prepared for a stroll filled with thought, yes. However, I was not prepared for the woods to actually speak to me this way. I continued on my walk as the words repeated themselves in my mind a few times. All the while, robins flew across my path singing what felt like those very words I had just come across.

The sweet serenity of this area was gifting me a much needed calm. Turning across a picturesque wooden bridge, I came across another clearing. More words. I approached this phrase: “Nest from the inside out”

 I stood there for a while, ruminating on what this could possibly mean. By this time, I was excited to see what the forest had in store for me next around the bend!

“Nest from the inside out”, I repeated to myself. “Inside…Out”.

It wasn’t too many steps before I came across the last words that really floored me. Not because they were at all poetic. Not because they were at all intricately arranged into a genius phrase. It was the sweet simplicity that took me by surprise. It was the very phrase I needed to see.

Adapt to Change.

I stopped wondering why these phrases were planted along my path and breathed in what they meant to me.

The first: To resolve conflict with song.

In the book, “The Romantic Manifesto”, Ayn Rand writes, “Art is the indespensible medium for the communication of a moral idea.” For me, those words ring true. There is simply no lovelier way to communicate than through art. Song is the perfect way to bring people together and to resolve differences.

The Second: To nest from the inside out.

The idea of looking inside yourself for happiness has been around for as long as any of us can remember. But so rarely do we actually take this action. I for one, know I can make myself happy. I know I must build my foundation in life in myself before I seek relationships with others. What is it that stops us?

The Last: To adapt to change.

In August 2009, I wrote a post here called flux. I talked about how time is not an actual catalyst for change. We hold the power to change ourselves. Time only seems to change our feelings, because we come to the decision to change due to other events that take place, or simply because we analyzed a situation from another angle. Adaptation is the decision to keep on living, no matter the circumstance.

On my way back from my walk, passing all the phrases and squirrels, robins, and butterflies, I spotted a little sign posted (which I had clearly missed!) where I had started my trail:

From the Presidio Habitats:

Winged Wisdom was conceived by Brody Hartman, director of creative strategy for PhilippeBecker, and designed in collaboration with Philippe Becker, creative director. “The American robin is an enduring icon in our landscape. It is a beloved bird whose behavior demonstrates nature’s ‘wisdom’, which in turn teaches us valuable lessons about how to relate to the land and with each other,” says Hartman. Winged Wisdom is composed of three-dimensional letters that spell out within the landscape three of the robins’ wise behaviors: ‘resolve conflict with song’, ‘adapt to change’, and ‘nest from the inside out’.

Each letter, built of steel armature and mesh netting, is filled with sterile straw, providing ideal nesting material for the robin.  “Our hope is to give park visitors an unexpected, yet mindful provocation of nature’s strength and wisdom,” says Hartman.

Thank you for that, San Francisco. ❤

~ by Keira Dazi on April 21, 2011.