Meeting in the Middle

North Carolina is a very pretty state, especially this time of year. While summers get a bit hot and humid, and winters can be quite cold at times, it is not a state where temperatures are habitually extreme, and spring weather is usually glorious.

This year glorious doesn’t even scratch the surface – with an uncharacteristic spell of unseasonably hot weather, North Carolina has exploded into a flowery paradise. In just a few days, Azaleas have bloomed, trees have sprouted leaves, and timid spring flowers have been on a race to catch up in a breathtaking contest of colors.

There are few times a year, if any, that I enjoy my backyard more than I do in the spring. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding subdivision by a greenway, the yard is a gardener’s nightmare and a naturalist’s dream; a small, natural stream divides the property from the greenway, while a natural bed of rock and a drooping canopy of Wisteria give it a touch of timeless beauty one would be surprised to find within the city limits. Needless to say, the whole area pullulates with activity, as tiny creatures get busy preparing for the summer season right around the corner.

On Sunday morning, I poured a cup of coffee and stepped outside, deeply inhaling the earthy scent of woods just awakened. I looked over at the stream, and saw two Blue Jays flying in from opposite directions, landing in perfect synchrony by the edge of the water. Judging from the different shades of their plumage, they were male and female, and I wondered for a moment if the two had met before or if I was witnessing their first "date". They remained near the water for a few seconds, probably looking around for small insects; then one flew off, and the other followed right behind, quickly disappearing behind the trees.

I sat there sipping my coffee, almost giggly at the thought of the two birds coming together and planning a family, and then, a random thought flashed through my mind…the birds had come from different directions, yet they had managed, by will or sheer fate, to meet in the middle; their connection at the meeting point would soon create new lives.

Creation can only be triggered when polarities meet. Night meets day, and either sunrise or sunset are created; winter meets summer, and spring erupts; cold air meets warm air, and lightning storms are sparked. Most, if not all, of what we experience is created by opposites coming together at a neutral meeting point. In our society, we have come to disdain what we perceive different, yet without differences we would become stagnant, unchallenged and unproductive. When everything flows along without meeting opposites, complacency takes over and growth and creation are stunted.

I doubt the Blue Jays ever thought of all this as they flew toward their life together, but I am sure that I will enjoy their creations for summers to come.