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Flights of the Hummingbird

Hummingbird

USA | Wednesday, 27 May 2015 | Views [110] | Scholarship Entry

Last August, I was living in Maryland, feeling stifled by waking up to the same routine every day. I was caving to wanderlust, especially having recently binge-watched several seasons of The Amazing Race. I decided to get away, by myself, for as many days as my PTO hours at work would allow, which was 10. From Maryland, I would take a bus to Atlanta, then fly to Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York City, couch-surfing the entire way.

The bus to Atlanta took 11 hours, and my legs were jelly when I stepped onto Georgia soil. My friend picked me up and we visited Piedmont Park, which had a fantastic view of downtown Atlanta. Amidst the lilies and daffodils that decorated the park, I saw a hummingbird for the first time, and felt a special connection to the little creature.

In L.A., I stayed with a friend I’d met online. We visited the LACMA and the Griffith Observatory. Once I’d digested the view of L.A. from observatory height, complete with the ‘Hollywood’ sign in the hills, we walked through the mountains and found a place to just sit.

In Seattle, the sidewalks were lined with cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, and other natural niceties. My host was able to show me all the best parts of the city, including a blackberry bush in her backyard. We visited the Seattle Art Museum, Pike Place Market, and Golden Gardens Park. Seattle was artsy and bright, and held my second hummingbird encounter. It hovered majestically by one of the flowers outlining my friend’s front door.

I reached New York in the midst of sunrise. I met up with my friend, and spent the day together in the bustling city, ending up in Brooklyn Bridge Park at night. We had time alone that night to bond, and very quickly we got to the subject of the hummingbird. “The hummingbird is a mystical animal,” she told me. “Seeing them is a good thing, a sign that you are on the right path.”

The entire trip was scary, many times making me feel like I was alone, especially as I barreled through the atmosphere from one place to another without the company of a friend or relative or boyfriend. However, much like the hummingbird, all my energy and focus went into my flight, to accomplish what I needed to do, to get away, to see new things and step in other sets of shoes. The world has its way of communicating wordlessly. Today, I opened an old poetry book I hadn’t seen in years. The first poem I opened up to was titled “Hummingbird.” I knew I was on the right path, whatever that path may be.

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

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