Firsts and lasts, the chickadee chicks

have spread their wings

whap whap whap

What the hell was that?

A pause. A glance.

Chickadee wings.

There are chickadee wings beating against the side of the greenhouse.

The fledgelings have found the cherry tree.

That was quite a feat.

They started in a rotten, hollowed out branch on the willow and have made their way to the cherry tree.

A moment later, they found the plum tree, then the maple, then the mountain ash.

Flitting with joy from branch to branch and tree to tree, their world is expanding rapidly. They are experiencing so many firsts.

Chickadees only live between one and three years. So while these fledglings are experiencing a lot of first times, their parents are experiencing a lot of ‘last times’.

The same can be said of all of us.

What do you experience more of these days, first times or ‘among the last times’?

How are these experiences different for you?