A large red-tail hawk perched on a fencepost not a dozen feet away watches me with keen interest as I approach. Stunned by the nearness of a creature I most often am able to only admire as it soars far overhead, I stop. For the briefest of moments our eyes meet. Then he spreads his wings and lifts off, quietly rising up into the sky as effortlessly as that of a single feather, the epitome of confidence.
How often we of the human species, when faced with a desire, goal or challenge, dwell on all the reasons why we may fail until we convince ourselves not to try at all, or are so timid in our effort that we guarantee failure and then say, “I knew I couldn’t do it.” Often, when success does come, convinced we are imposters, we dare not fly too close to the sun, and so instead sabotage ourselves until we are once again earthbound.
A mother hawk flies from her nest to another tree nearby and calls to her young to follow. At first are heard only the tiny cries of protest as they beckon their mother home. But the mother is insistent and soon, one by one, they embrace her faith.
