Have you ever hear something and think, "Maybe, I just imagined that"? I had a split second of that thought, but my cat, Loki, also heard the strange sound. No, he didn't tell me that. I certainly didn't imagine that I heard him talking to me, thank goodness. Instead, he woke up from a nap, and sat straight up and looked at the fireplace. At that same moment, the glass doors on my fireplace started shaking. I knew immediately that there was some kind of animal in my chimney. I've lived a year or two, so this wasn't my first time experiencing this scenario.
The question in my mind at that point was, "Is it rat, is it a cat, or is it a rabid possum?" Loki was thrilled at the prospect of any of these possibilities. I, on the other hand, had a bit of trepidation. I had no desire to have a rodent, some stray cat, or a wild animal of any sort dart out of my fireplace. I mustered my courage and stuck my head into the fireplace. Loki tried his very best to join me. Luckily, the damper was closed, and just as luckily, it wasn't something scary in there. I could hear the undeniable sound of wings beating. Definitely a bird, not a helicopter or a mangy, flea ridden animal. So, I opened the damper at which point I got a face full of ashes. Thankfully, the ashes missed my eyes, and I could see the tail feathers of a dove hanging over the edge of the damper door.
In case you are unaware, I'm short. I shoved myself as far into the fireplace as I could, but my arm was still about 3 inches too short to reach the bird. Of course. I couldn't help him.
Mister Dumbass Bird (the affectionate name I gave him) was stuck in the darkness. All he had to do was look up to see the light, but he was too scared to turn his head.
I'm sure your wondering why I'm telling you this strange and mundane story. Well, let me fill you in. As I sat waiting for Mister Dumbass Bird to figure out that he needed to fly toward the light, I started thinking, "This bird's plight can teach me something."
Here's what I learned. Sometimes, we're afraid to look up. We keep our heads down just moving through that daily grind. We look down at our phones or straight ahead at the wall of electronics, finding ways to entertain ourselves to keep our minds busy. We're scared to turn off our laptops, TVs, or phones and sit with ourselves in the darkness. However, it's good to look in the dark corners. Those dark places are where we find ourselves, our beauty, our strengths, and our weaknesses. If we just let the light shine into those dark nooks and crannies, we can see our true selves with all of our gorgeous flaws. When we relax and we let go of the fear, when we just look up, we learn how to fly.
Epiphany! I needed to spend some time doing shadow work. It was a tough couple of weeks looking at my darkness. It's always uncomfortable to see where we've failed, where we've been hurt, or where we've hurt others. But, when we shine the light on those parts of our souls, we can see how all the pieces fit together to make each of us the amazing, unique creatures that we are.
If this resonates with you, here are a few prompts that you can use to do your own shadow work.
1. How does the feeling of envy show up in my life? Where does that envy come from? How would I feel if I obtained the things that I'm envious of?
2. What irrational fears do I have? What sort of blocks do they cause?
3. What do I need to forgive myself for?
4. What is the biggest promise that I have made to myself that I have broken? How does that make me feel?
5. What has been the biggest disappointment in my life?
6. Has anyone ever called me arrogant? How did that make me feel? How did I react?
7. What is a habit that distracts me from myself and/or impedes my well-being? When did I develop this habit? What caused me to develop it? How has it affected my life?
8. Describe a person I have a strong negative reaction to? What are their negative qualities? Now, erase their name and replace it with mine? How does this make me feel? Why does it make me feel this way?
9. How do I deal with emotional discomfort? What is my outlet? Do I have any addictions? When do I reach for them? When reaching for them, what is the feeling I'm trying to avoid?
10. Am I triggered by conflict? When I experience conflict, do I acknowledge it and process my feelings, or do I avoid it?
Don't be afraid to sit in those dark places. If you can face your discomfort, you will be able to see the light. Don't forget to look up. There's so much beauty when you are able to fly above the fear.
By the way, the bird figured it out and flew back up the chimney. However, I hadn't opened the damper for awhile, and I broke it. I'm kind of like Super Man able to break metal doors with a single jerk of the handle. So, I guess another lesson that I learned is, take care of your fireplace and chimney. Get it cleaned once a year and don't let your damper rust.
Thank you, Mister Dumbass Bird. You have enriched my life and my chimney.