Why Do We Bird? Have long pondered our motivation for birding. These ten resonate with me:
* The collection instinct. Many of us collected stamps, coins, dolls, trains etc as children, and never really outgrew it:). Come on, listers, admit it.... * The appreciation factor. We spend much of our lives resolving issues; beauty renews us. * Exercise. Just speaking personally, if I attempt to bird without leaving my vehicle and walking, the joy is minimized. * Growth. Birding keeps us learning and growing. We discover we're part of a much wider world, with multiple dimensions and facets. * Contrast & variety. The sameness of life is broken up. It needs to be. * Social interaction. Many birders lean towards introspection, introversion, even isolation. But we also desire relationship, and a shared passion facilitates this. * Worship. True for some, not others. * Expressiveness. Birding comes out in, and enriches, our verbal and non-verbal communication. I preach and write poetry, find birds woven throughout. * Healing. Peace can come through observation, appreciation, contemplation. * Fun! Al Schirmacher Muscotah, KS (No rights reserved) Sent from my iPhone ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
