Hummingbirds.

Several years back, my life was not quite what it is today. (I suppose most people can say the same thing.) I hadn't started a relationship with P.I.C. I was in a bad relationship. My job made me miserable. Then things slowly began to change. I got a new job. I ended the bad relationship. I went down to visit my parents in the country. This was the summer that my life began to change for the better.

My parents live in a very rural area on twenty acres of land. They have their own pond and occasionally have to chase the neighbor's cattle back home. My parents are animal lovers, so they have multiple bird feeders on their property, including the bright red hummingbird feeders. They make sugar water, then dye it red, because hummingbirds are attracted to the color.

This summer, the summer my life began to change and had taken a trip to visit the country and my parents, I was sitting on their porch wearing a red tank top when they began to flock. The hummingbirds. There had to be at least fifty at one time. One hummingbird is a magical creature. However, seeing fifty in one place, buzzing around, patiently waiting for the feeder suspended in the air by their lightning-fast wings, is truly a sight to behold. They are bright. Tiny. Very fast. Their little chirps are difficult to discern unless you are very close or there are several nearby. I was very close. There were fifty. It was incredible. I sat on my parents' porch for at least an hour, just watching them.

Their buzzing and squeaking put me into a trance, the green of their tiny bodies held me captivated. I couldn't stop watching. As they quickly drained the bright red sugar water in the feeder, I felt something in me change. I felt a peace take over the very core of my being. The tumultuous first six months of the year seemed a million miles away. This time with the hummingbirds, and a day out on my parents' boat swimming in the warm and clear water of the Pomme de Terre Lake, cleared my head and healed me in a way that hours in my therapist's office could not.

Fast forward to two and a half years later. P.I.C. and I are on the final leg of our Panamanian journey. We settled into our poolside cabana and beelined for our waterfront balcony. A hummingbird feeder also lived out there. P.I.C. hopped into the hammock, beer in hand, while I sat in one of the chairs. Within a few minutes, two hummingbirds and a lizard or two were on the hummingbird feeder. P.I.C. sat up.

"Wow, is that a real hummingbird?"

"Yep! Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"I've never seen one up close."

The look on his face as he took in his first hummingbird close up was priceless. Wonder and awe. We were truly on vacation, seeing beautiful creatures and hitting the ultimate relaxation.

This, my friends, is why I love hummingbirds so much. They represent a healing of sorts. Their little squeaks and fluttering wings remind me of two very wonderful times in my life where I was unequivocally happy.

Isn't that something about which you'd like to be reminded every day?