When The Going Gets Tough...

While waiting each morning for dawn to begin
Many times we’ve watched sea birds flying in
As they arrive they immediately start foraging for food
Some busily fishing, while others intrude.

Sometimes we bring along food scraps to share
So while taking sunrise I can also photograph them there

As I’ve observed the behaviour of seagulls through years,
That pecking order heard about is abundantly clear
Some fly in with abandon, once food scraps are tossed,
With no thought for others that might just get cross.

The cross one’s begin squawking and hustling through the event,
So determined to dominate they miss out, and yet,
While those trusting ones enjoy gathering up the spoils.
Some stand back intimidated by the bullies toils.

But life can be tough for a seagull with a trial,
With an infirmity, they must always go one extra mile.
But trials teaches them that they can remain strong,
To look bullies in the eye and decide, this is wrong.
They then position themselves best to take hold of the prize.
If they don’t they’ll endure hunger then death, they realise.

As I arrived one morning to capture the dawn,
I took advantage of this seagull, standing forlorn
This seagull remained standing, unperturbed by my flashlight,
Shining directly in its eye. And I wondered, why?

Then closer inspection of this courageous bird,
Showed his purpose in stying there, unperturbed
As he repositioned, turning more towards me,
It became obvious, it was plain to see

He had a problem, he had only one leg,
And to feed himself, he’d learned that it was easy to beg
For scraps, I could offer with no-one around.
With no competition, he could stand his ground.

So I fed him quietly while the others couldn’t see,
Then off he flew, satisfied, with no thought for me.

There’s much we can learn from this ingenious bird
As he flew off silently, without a word
He’d gained courage from all he’d learned to expect
He’d decided the bullies don’t have to effect
His hunger if he decides to fight
And for his life to continue, he had every right
To change what was normal to achieve his goal
He succeeded, peacefully eating the whole
Of my scraps meant for others, though the others knew less
And that secret we shared, brought him his success!

But just like this seagull, we must also decide
Do we fight for our rights or cringe back and hide?
Do we run from each curveball that comes without any warning?
Or decide to be calm, when outside it’s storming

Though we don’t know we’re capable, we can actually cope,
When past experiences teach us, building confidence and hope.
Observing nature will often help teach us
But the one I go to is waiting to reach us

When I don’t know which way to go in my life
I seek God for direction and He shines His light
On each situation when I don’t know the way
And He’ll also help you if you ask Him, just pray.

Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Matthew 6:26

If you want to know more there are many blogs here at CapturingSunrise.com that will help you discover the truth.

From Elaine Costin – 2019 All Rights Reserved
Capturing Sunrise / Blog