Eaglets, I've Seen a Few

Have you ever heard the story of the sun and the wind? The sun and the wind make a bet to see who can make a man remove his coat. Wind blows and blows but all that happens is the man pulls his coat more tightly against his body. Sun, on the other hand, shines and shines until the man gets so warm, he takes off the coat.

When I do something outside on a windy day, it's a struggle. My hair blows into my face and I feel like the breath is being pulled out of me. I need to brace myself simply to walk around. By the time I come inside, I'm tired from fighting gusts.

Lately, we've been spending time watching the Decorah Eaglets. At this point, the eaglets are starting to spread their wings and practice flapping, preparing for flight. It's interesting to watch. Today was a windy day at the nest. Watching the wind flutter through their feathers, I noticed one and then another do something interesting:

They faced the wind and spread their wings.

The eaglets know the wind is nothing to fear. Someday, that wind will lift them up and they will soar.

And so, another life lesson is learned from watching animals:

Wind is not an obstacle to moving, it is a benefit for flying.