…Robins will wear their feathery fire
Sara Teasdale, poet
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire…”
This morning as I ate my breakfast in my sunroom, I watched a chubby robin bopping along the ground. I began to wonder why seeing a robin appear, after frigid weeks of weather, a sense of calm overtakes me. As if the robin is some sort of reminder that spring is upon us, that the cold will hibernate so the warmth can envelop us. But here in North Carolina, the robin does not exactly migrate south for the winter, and periodically, I see them come out of hiding through the winter months.
Yet on this particular morning, when the temperature was not even 40 degrees Fahrenheit though it is forecast to reach 70 by this afternoon, he appeared, along with other birds that were singing their morning songs. He gazed in my direction, and as I watched him hop along the not quite green grass, I reflected on how content he seemed.
Robins typically crave insects and earthworms and other crawlies in the warmer months; they forage for fruit and berries during winter, which are found on trees, bushes, and vines. And since fruit and berries contain sugar, it explains why the robins are robust by the time they appear fully in the spring before thinning out on worms. I imagine eating worms would shrink anyone’s waistline.
I don’t know about you, but I have never seen a robin turn his beak up at an earthworm. He isn’t picky. He grabs it, swallows, regurgitates it, feeds it to his young. If that isn’t the epitome of unfussy, I don’t what is.
What robins teach us about contentment, perseverance
I’ve been reading Tiffany Yates Martin’s book “The Intuitive Author: How to Grow and Sustain a Happier Writing Career” for which I’ll have more insight for you after I’ve finished. But what I’ve appreciated so far is the reminder to give ourselves, as writers, more credit with what we’re doing. It can be tough to plow through with our work when our confidence is constantly beaten. It isn’t just the rejections (28 rejections of my essays and articles, not including the ignored pitches, in the last year. Don’t get me started on the poetry!) but many of us have had to fight for our love of writing—even for years—if we’ve never had support. Martin says: “The most important traits an author can have, both in their writing and in their career as a writer, are resilience and persistence.”
I agree. If we keep writing, keep submitting, keep pitching, keep going even if the only one who has confidence in our work is ourselves, then we’re doing okay.
The robin is content with foraging, with basking in the sunshine, with acting on instinct, whatever that may be. He’ll fight you for that tiny morsel of a worm if he has to!
Our instinct is to write. I notice when I don’t think about the results of being published, I’m a lot happier. And the kinds of things I write make a difference too. I’m happier writing my poetry, essays, and fiction. So I keep going. At some point, the right person, at the right time, at the right magazine or media outlet, will click with my words and off I go! As long as I’m doing something—writing, pitching—I’m ahead of everyone else.
In the meantime, I have the robins and the other birds to remind me I am surrounded by beauty.
What about you? What gets you through your dark days of rejection?
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