The Hummer

     Some Eastern religions believe that the human soul may be reincarnated as an animal of some kind.  This concept gives me a lot to ponder.  It is my sincere hope to not come back as the common house fly, especially since I swatted one this morning in the kitchen.

     I had decided not to put out the hummingbird feeder this year.  We always have two hummingbirds and on rare occasion, three.  I'm always envious of the pictures I see of my friends, who live in the outer parts of this rural area, they have hundreds of them.

     My reasoning was simple, I wanted to save them.  With the arrival of the latest feline member of this family, I thought it best not to put the feeder out.  Tigger may be full grown, but inside he is all kitten.  Anything that moves is fair game.  He lacks quite a bit in his hunting skills, but that doesn't stop him from trying.  His most recent accomplishment in the hunting department is night crawlers. He finds them in the mulch around the yard and proudly carries the worm, hanging out of his mouth like a fierce jungle cat with a large snake, to the back door.  From there, they provide him with much entertainment.

     A couple of weeks ago I was standing on the back deck, surveying my domain.  I do this often and it always seems to give me a sense of peace and tranquility.  It also is much more enjoyable than doing things that I should be doing.  

     While I was gazing, a male hummingbird came to me and hovered not twelve inches from my face.  I made a mental note that I was not wearing red at the time and he wasn't mistaking me for some giant sized flower.  I spoke to the bird.  I talk to all creatures, even inanimate ones.  He still hovered.  Then he began to make that chipping sound that hummingbirds do.  It doesn't really qualify as a chirp, I suppose that is because they are not big enough to chirp, so they chip.

     The whole time this is going on, I'm thinking how amazing it is.  This tiny bird, master of all things aerodynamic, seems to be trying to tell me something.  He stayed in this position for a long time, then shifted his speedy gears in reverse, gave me one more 'chip' and darted off.

     I came back into the house, pulled the hummingbird feeder from beneath the kitchen sink and mixed up some sugar water.  I hung it in its rightful spot and within less than five minutes, he was back.

     Is this small feathered creature the embodiment of some lost family member?  I have no idea, but I will enjoy his company and he seems to enjoy mine.