The Boy and the Blackbird

A little boy was told the nursery rhyme about “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.” The rhyme made him so uneasy that, when a blackbird landed near him in his backyard, he just had to ask: "Are you afraid of getting baked in a pie?”

The blackbird laughed and said, "I think I know what you are asking about, but you should know that rhyme is not for children. It’s actually for adults.”

“What do you mean?” asked the boy.

“When people get older, they sometimes get so busy they tend to suffocate the 'four and twenty blackbirds'—otherwise known as the twenty-four hours of the day. But if you are wise, then, first thing every morning, you should pull that old oven door open, set the blackbirds free, and save your day.”

Those "birds" of the rhyme—the hours in our day—each one has its own song to sing. The bird of each hour sounds a different note of joy. Our task is to set each one free and listen.

Listening deeply, beneath all the noise, you can hear the song of joy in each hour of your day and be filled with courage. Then you will have to ask yourself, "I wonder if the world can handle the tremendous aliveness I'm going to unleash today?”

-Landon Saunders