My teacher, BECKY.

People choose great teachers and heroes for themselves. I also do. I have selected great teachers and models who have helped to guide my thoughts and actions. I would really have loved to dedicate this post to them but my hen, Becky is my current celebrity, so I am dedicating this post to her. *wide smile*

I named her BECKY because she is just like my elder sister also named BECKY – character-wise (tough, resilient, okay with being alone and do not ‘need’ people’s approval to do what should be done).

Becky (my brown hen) was given to me by a friend so I took her away from her family at a tender age just because I was too eager to have a pet. She was so lonely, fragile and was the smallest of all the birds in my neighbourhood. That worked ill for her. She was bullied, had no relationships, missed her family, had no real home, was hungry in the midst of plenty (the other birds won’t let her eat with them), etc. Even when I feed her, older birds (bullies) deprived her of her own food!

I deliberately decided to do nothing about it. I wanted to see how resilient she is. I wanted to see if she will give up like we (humans) always do. I wanted to see how much she could take. I observed and watched her daily and made mental notes of her adaptation to the “harsh” life she had been exposed to and to her gradual progress. Days became weeks and weeks rolled up into months...

Just few days ago, I saw her looking so beautiful, robust and splendid with very bright-red comb and wattles, shiny brown-black plumage around her neck and lower back region and lots of friends around her. I was close to tears as I remembered the bible verse that says “the rejected stone has become the corner stone”. She had overcome and is still overcoming. I looked for those older birds that always deprived her of her food, alas, they are all gone – expired! I watched her to see if she is a bully too, I was too elated to discover that she isn't a bully – she had forgiven her enemies. Younger birds are free around her – except when I feed her! She had learnt to take what belongs to her! Wow! She going to be a mother soon. I can’t wait to tell her chicks how fortunate they are to have a mother so brave, resilient and confident.

Highlights from Becky’s struggles and victory.

·     The loneliness and rejection she faced were not enough to make her despair of life. She could take them all and even lots more! Moral: Refuse to give up just because no one has chosen to stand with you. Convert your lonely times to reflection times. Remember, the best inventions were not gotten in conferences and summits but by individuals who shut themselves away from public glare until they ‘struck gold’.

·   When bullied, she walks away confidently and calmly as if she had not been bullied. She wouldn't moan over her deprivation but will rather look for elsewhere to get food. Moral: Don’t cry over what you can let go. The present and past may be sour, but the future is yet undecided. Plough your frustrations into building a future that will provide all you have been presently deprived of!

·   She forgave her bullies. I have never seen her fight with any of them till date. Moral: Sometimes, lying low isn't cowardice. With time, your bullies will expire just like Becky's bullies expired. Today she eats what she wants, goes wherever she wants and has tons of friends who come home with her for lunch daily. Moral: Empty your heart of all bitterness. When people hurt you, they take power over you. When you refuse to forgive them, they keep that power.

·     She forgave herself too. She is not bitter. She is not cruel. Though she suffered from bullies, she did not become a bully herself. Younger birds are at peace around her. She is more like a mother, though not yet with chicks. Moral: Do not pay back people for the wrong other people did to you. Do not retain bitterness over what you have suffered in the past. Those who hurt you are no longer here, why make others.

·     Becky taught me that tough times never last! Yea, they never do. Though it seemed like she wasn't going to have a full life, she pressed on with hope and faith. Today she is living a full life. Moral: Hold onto your dreams. Times may be hard but hold on still. If you let your dream die, then life becomes like a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.

     

    Has Becky taught you something too? If yes, just wish her well. She is about having chicks soon.

     I love to hear from you.

     Contact me @ soaringeagle4life@gmail.com or +2348130207064