birding, lifestyle, personal

Flash Mob at Dawn

I’ve always wanted to experience a flash mob. The kind of thing where you are out somewhere and suddenly people start singing and/or dancing. To experience something like this was even on my bucket list.

Until this morning.

While the sun was still rising, I let my dog out into our backyard. It was much earlier than usual and I went out with her so I could stop her if she started barking.

It was on my back porch stairs that I suddenly found myself in the middle of a flash mob! It started as one voice singing and soon that one was joined by a multitude.

I couldn’t see these singers. They were disguised by the burgeoning green on the trees all around me.

But oh how they could sing!

The first voice I heard was that of a Northern Cardinal and then a House Sparrow chimed in. As if on cue, an American Robin joined them followed by a Song Sparrow. Of course, the Blue Jay waited to make it’s entrance. If the Blue Jay thought it could out sing the others, it was wrong! More and more Song and House Sparrows raised their voices until there was a cacophony of song filling the air.

I’ve always wanted to experience a musical flash mob. This morning I realized that my idea of what that might look like was limited. That limited thinking almost caused me to miss the thrill of experiencing the flash mob that was right outside my door.

I’m crossing, ‘experience a flash mob‘ off my bucket list. I have discovered that each morning I can be surprised by the music all around me. Right outside my door there’s an opportunity to experience a concert where the song list and participants change from day to day but the music never ends!

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babies, childhood, childhood songs, Discovery, Grandchildren, grandparenting

I’m Just a Kid Again….

I watch my grandson two days a week. Turns out it’s a great fit for my personality. I like to babble…sing songs…dance…and that tends to appeal to kids.

I love the wonder of it all. His face when I expose him to a new song or sing and dance along to an old favorite.

Recently I learned something new about something old – because of my grandson.

I have a play list of songs I share with him. Some are favorites of mine from when I was a kid. Recently Youtube played a song but it wasn’t one on my playlist. It was an old song but not one I ever remembered hearing. And when it played I marveled at what I was discovering.

When I was growing up, the expression: “Wake up you sleepy head, wake up get up, get out of bed!” was a common one. I had it said to me as a child and I can remember trying to cajole my parents out of their bed with the same expression.

So I was quite surprised when I was playing with my grandson and this song starts to play – “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobin’ Along”. The chorus stopped me in my tracks.

“Wake up!! Wake up you sleepy head,

get up, get up…get out of bed,

cheer up…cheer up, the sun is red…

live, love, laugh and be happy”

What??!! This expression came from a song? Did I have this song sung to me when I was a child? I don’t remember. But it is now one I find myself humming constantly.

There is one line in it that feels especially poignant….it says:

“I’m just a kid again, doing what I did again, singing a song!”

That’s just how I feel when I’m with my grandson. He doesn’t just remind me of my own kids when they were little…he reminds me of myself. And through him I am re-discovering the wonder I felt as a child. And I find that, I’m just a kid again, doing what I did again….singing a song!

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