Wings

 What does the word, "wings," bring to mind?  This word is associated with the parental-child relationship, at times.  We envision a child's separation from the home environment, such as going off to college, or getting a job and living  on one's own, as the child's advance to putting on their own "wings."

But, more closely, I associate this term with the bird kingdom.  Recently I volunteered to help with one of the conservation projects at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC).  The project monitors the progress of the Wood Duck that migrates to this area.  The Center has constructed and planted over a dozen Wood Duck nesting houses to accommodate the safe breeding of these birds.

They commonly find natural cavities, such as a hole in a tree to set up their nesting space.  These birds may choose cavities that are very high off of the ground.  The female lays, normally, over a dozen eggs to be hatched.  One day after the hatching, the mother calls the brood out of the nest.  They must climb out of the  deep nest cavity (planned for protection against predators) and jump through a significant height to bounce on the ground or smash into the water below.  If successful in this treacherous mission, the mother gathers them and teaches them to take on their wings.

This whole process seems to resonate with our own parental process of nurturing our young to adulthood.  Only, of course, our maturing didn't involve a full leap out of our home on the second day of birth!

"If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing."

                                       Coco Chanel