Be the hummingbird

Mel Makaw.

This little inspiring story came to me from a friend over the Internet. In doing my own research on it, I found that it is a story repeated often in many different countries and cultures, and with many longer and shorter variations, always with a credit of "author unknown." However it is shared, and no matter when it was first told or by whom, it seems to me to be a timely addition to share with you today:

According to an old Native American legend [sic], one day there was a big fire in the forest. All the animals fled in terror in all directions, because it was a very violent fire. Suddenly, the jaguar saw a hummingbird pass over his head, but flying in the opposite direction – the hummingbird was flying towards the fire!

Moments later, the jaguar saw him pass again, this time in the same direction as the jaguar was walking. It happened again and again, the little creature wouldn't stop. The jaguar observed this coming and going until he decided to ask the bird about it, because it seemed very bizarre behavior.

"What are you doing, hummingbird?" he asked.

"I am going to the lake," the little bird answered, "I drink water with my beak and throw it on the fire to extinguish it." The jaguar laughed. "Are you crazy? Do you really think that you can put out that big fire on your own with your very small beak?"

"No," said the hummingbird, "I know I can't. But the forest is my home. It feeds me, it shelters me and my family. I am very grateful for that. And I help the forest grow by pollinating its flowers. I am part of her and the forest is part of me. I know I can't put out the fire, but I must do my part."

At that moment the forest spirits, who listened to the hummingbird and were moved by the little bird and its devotion to the forest, miraculously sent a torrential downpour, which put an end to the great fire.

The Native American grandmothers would occasionally tell this story to their grandchildren, then conclude with, "Do you want to attract miracles into your life? Do your part."

They added, "You have no responsibility to save the world or find the solutions to all problems-but to attend to your particular personal corner of the universe. As each person does that, the world saves itself."

I think it's a great reminder that each of us, individually, maybe can't do it all but as the grandmothers said, we can each do our part. It's also a reminder that when we all do our little parts, it can bring about big changes. And it's a reminder that while we can't always control what is going on around us, we can control what we do about it and how we react to it.

The bigger picture may seem grim and overwhelming at times – like a mighty fire burning out of control – but all we can do is our own little part in our own little corner of the world to combat it.

The little part that you can do may not always seem like enough, but it often is, whether you see it immediately or not. And doing your part to make a bad situation better, however small that effort may be, is so much better than hiding and refusing to participate at all, or even worse, rolling over and dying.

Giving up is not an option. Fighting on and doing the best you can, is.

Keeping the faith and doing your small part may inspire others. So, be the hummingbird. Ignore the discouragements. Find other hummingbirds. Teach the jaguar and other animals how to work with you. Many small efforts can inspire larger co-operative community efforts; many small efforts can change the world; miracles can take many different forms.

As the grandmothers said, "Do your part" and "the world can save itself."

© 2024 Mel Makaw. Mel, local writer/photographer and author of On the Bright Side, a collection of columns (available at Tehachapi Arts Center) has been looking on the bright side for various publications since 1996. She welcomes your comments at [email protected].