To The Woman Who Couldn't Hear The Birds

Take a moment to listen

Dear Past Me,

There was a time when you wore your headphones like armour. You always had your headphones in, listening to the latest productivity podcast or a new self-help audiobook, as if getting that next drop of information would make all the difference.

I understand why you did it. The hum of podcasts, playlists and audiobooks drowned out the chaos and gave you the sense that you were being productive, that you were maximising your time. You were being efficient, listening and learning while doing the laundry, the dishes and making dinner.

And sure, you were getting a lot done, you were being efficient. But in that pursuit of always making the most of every single second, you forgot one essential thing: to listen, to be present in the moment. I don’t mean listening to the endless opinions coming through your earbuds but listening to the world outside.

You couldn’t hear the birds, could you? You couldn’t hear their dawn chorus, you couldn’t hear their endless chattering right before bird bedtime, you couldn’t hear all their different songs. And so, you missed it, you missed their beautiful song. Because you weren’t listening, because you were always hiding away behind the noise of yet another YouTuber with something to say.

Birds are messengers and teachers, and you would soon find that out. They’re not literally all pigeons carrying our letters around, but the message they bring is one we can only hear when we truly listen. Birds teach us to notice, to be present and to pay attention. Birds are always singing and what you hear isn’t just random sounds. It’s drawing your attention to moments you might otherwise overlook. You used to think that kind of noticing was a luxury you couldn’t afford. There was no time to listen; you had things to do.

But the birds kept on singing their quiet, steady songs, entirely unconcerned with you. They live their entire lives, unbothered that you weren’t noticing them. Birds flew around you, building nests, finding life partners, laying eggs, making friends and you didn’t notice a single thing. They were showing you what freedom and a connection with nature could look like, but you wouldn’t see; all the while listening to podcasts about reconnecting with nature and rewilding.

I wish I could go back and tell you: take off your headphones. Just once. Just hear the birds.

Because I know that one day, you will notice. One day, you will take off those headphones, you will sit down outside, and you will listen. In that moment, you will notice. You will hear the bells and whistles and cracks of the tui. You will notice. All of a sudden, you’ll see the tui land on the harakeke flax and you’ll truly notice his vibrant colours. You’ll notice his feathers aren’t really black. No, they’re shimmering with green, blue and purple colours. He’s almost metallic. You’ll see that there is so much more to notice when you finally allow yourself to experience the moment.

A beautiful tui for my non-New Zealand friends - Photo by Andrea Lightfoot on Unsplash

One day you’ll hear the kingfisher isn’t only letting out his territorial call, the shrill and repetitive kek-kek-kek. You’ll notice there are so many layers to his song, and when he’s playing with his partner, he’s chattering a rapid, rattling sound. You’ll hear how happy and playful his song can be.

You’ll notice an unlikely friendship forming between the kingfisher and the tui. One day, you’ll catch a glimpse of them sitting on the same branch, seeing who can sing the loudest.

The birds don’t need you at all. But you? You need them.

So, dear Past Me, take a moment to listen and hear the birds. They won’t fix all your problems, but they’ll remind you of something you’d forgotten: that nature is all around you and you don’t need to do anything at all. All you need to do is listen, be present and notice. Just trust me on this one.

One thing that inspired me this week:

I’ve been reading Steven Pinker’s The Sense of Style and I’m loving it so much. He has a very engaging writing style that makes it difficult to put the book down. Plus, I’m getting a lot of good writing tips from it. Highly recommend for my fellow writer friends.

If you want to get a taste of what it’s about, this YouTube video gives a good overview of the main points he covers in his book:

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