April 8th 2023

Lessons from barn swallows

A few barn swallows have started returning to the stable and it’s a welcome sign. They’ve got me pondering life, which all of the little creatures do. Many barn swallows return to the same area, if not the same nest, year after year. They’ll reuse nests and clean out debris or old material, and maybe strengthen the rim with a new layer of mud. As I listen to the swallows bicker over which nest they’ll claim for the season I can’t help but ask myself similar questions. What is worth coming back to? What is worth fighting for? What’s a nest I couldn’t rebuild? Or something once absent that would cause me to walk away? When I decide to take up residence in familiar rafters I look around, and begin to take stock. I throw things out. Some of them never worked. Some of them did for a time, while others have outlived their usefulness. With the rubble cleared away and the dust settled I try to mend things. I take a little mud and fill in the cracks, I fortify the edges, and rebuild, looking ahead now. But what do birds really know about priorities and adaptability and perseverance? The answers to these questions will be different for all of us and they’ll evolve throughout our lives, but I think they’re worth asking at least once a year when the sparrows remind me to consider what matters the most.