The Bird Took My Spot!
My favorite writing spot…before the surprise visitor moved in. lol
If you know me even a little —or if you’ve been reading my past posts—you probably know that I love Spring. After months of cold, dreary Connecticut weather, I finally get to enjoy the outdoors again -
the sun on my skin,
the fresh air in my lungs,
and the birds singing in the background.
Whenever I can, I like to take my laptop outside to the patio table on my back deck and make it my office for the day. There’s just something so peaceful about being outside. I can get lost in the clouds and let the birds’ singing become the soundtrack of my thoughts. It helps me feel calm and at ease. Honestly, I’m the happiest when I’m outdoors in the sun.
This year, I’ve needed that sunshine more than ever. The year has felt heavy and full. After getting in a few beautiful days of work outside, I had to move my “office” back indoors for the other part of spring - the one tied to that saying, “April showers bring May flowers.”
We had several days of rain and gray skies, right in the middle of a VERY busy week: school events, teacher appreciation at both schools, photo week at the girls’ dance studio, a chorus concert…and a partridge in a pear tree. Well—not quite. But close! 😅
Last week, Sophia looked out the patio door and noticed a huge mess on the patio table. Then she looked up…and saw a bird had made a nest inside our patio umbrella! I hadn’t closed it the last time I sat out there, and with the rain and my crazy schedule, I hadn’t gone back to check. I had no idea a bird had moved in.
So…this is what happens when you leave your patio umbrella open during a rainy week. 🤦🏻♀️
When the rain cleared up, I told Chuck we needed to clean it up and move the nest.
That’s when he said, “Unless there’s an egg in there.”
…Oh no.
I hadn’t even thought about that. If there was an egg, we couldn’t move it.
He grabbed his phone, peeked inside, and sure enough - there it was: one bright blue egg.
Yesterday he checked again. Now there are FIVE!
Does anyone know how long it takes for an egg to hatch and for the baby birds to be ready to leave the nest?
…I should probably google that! 😅
This weekend, the sun finally came back out—and that’s when it hit me…
There goes my spot.
I’ve waited months for the weather to be nice again. I’ve looked forward to writing and working outside, soaking in the quiet and creativity that comes with being in nature. And now this bird has stolen my spot!
At first, I was annoyed. Last year our deck had to be rebuilt and the project took so long I missed months of being able to enjoy sitting outside. And now —another season where I can’t sit outside? Of course it would happen when I just started to lean into my writing. It didn’t seem fair.
But then I remembered something from many years ago—my very first “gift with purchase” event when I worked at Estee Lauder.
I had found a lip liner that matched one of the lipsticks in the free gift perfectly. It made it so easy to help customers find something they would love and help them qualify for the gift. But we only had a few of those liners in stock, and I sold them quickly.
I remember telling my account executive, “If you can get me more of those lip liners, I know I can hit my goal!”
She smiled and said:
”Great. Now find something else.”
At the time, I was a little frustrated by her response. I had found something that worked. Why couldn’t they just send me more of that? It would be so easy!
But her words have stuck with me. And they have shaped how I approach roadblocks ever since.
So when I realized my perfect writing spot had been taken over by a bird and five blue eggs, I realized I had three options:
A) Admit defeat. My spot is gone. The bird wins.
B) Try to co-exist with the bird - though that might include being attacked or pooped on. 😅
C) Accept the change, and find a new spot.
And that’s when it hit me—life is full of these moments.
Plans shift. Spaces get taken. Things don’t turn out the way we expected.
We don’t always have control over what changes. But we do get to choose how we respond.
Sometimes we want to sulk and stay bitter because our plans have been disrupted.
Sometimes we try to make things work, even if it’s messy.
And sometimes—we just have to find something else.
Normally, I’d choose defeat. I’m not great with change. I like knowing what to expect.
But those words are ringing in my ears again:
Now find something else.
We don’t have to stop enjoying the things we love when we encounter a roadblock.
We just have to find a new way.
And who knows—maybe we’ll find something better.
So for now, I’ll be looking for a new spot to write and soak up the sunshine.
If you know of any good quiet outdoor places around here, let me know—preferably one without birds! LOL