July 9, 2006 - Day 5 - Week 14 - Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Those who know me well recognize that this time of year I begin to act and appear a little differently than I normally do.  The socks come off, (this year they disappeared a bit earlier because of the affliction called fat legs, the shorts are donned and the topsiders replace the loafers.  Why, you might ask?

It is no secret in my family that the turn from June to July signals that Cape Cod is looming as a destination and Peter is getting psychologically prepared.  This year the anticipation has taken on a different flavor, but I can still taste the clams, lobsters and bluefish of the past. I am sure they will have a heightened meaning this summer; but a little book sent to me by a new friend from Boston who was a guest on Earth Talk Today this past year placed me on the bluff overlooking Nantucket Sound to watch the seagulls.

Remember the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull?  I do, and yet I will be re-reading this again from an altogether new perspective. Richard Bach wrote this gem in 1970 and Jeff Cook, founder of director of Environmental Careers Organization suggested that the wisdom within might be of value to me and others.

Jonathan had a choice to make.  He could pursue his passion, risking everything for the pursuit of speed and learning to fly like no other gull before him, or he could join the flock and be like every other gull on the beach and hunt for food and look around at the scenery most of the day.  He had watched other gulls squabble over a scrap of bread or small fish scrap tossed from the party boat entering the harbor, but that did not cut it for Jonathan. He wanted more out of life. At one point Bach wrote:  "We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill."

Chastised and ridiculed for his youthful indiscretions, Jonathan wanted more than anything else in life to pursue a higher purpose.  He sought that purpose with every ounce of his being.

Illness, a life threatening illness like cancer, calls into question one's purpose in life.  What am I here for, what are you here for, and frankly what is Jonathan Livingston Seagull on earth for?  Perhaps, a seagull is here to teach humans about something special; we are hear to listen to nature and to learn from nature.

My old friend Father Thomas Berry, author of the paradigm shifting work Dream of the Earth once advised that each human given two hands must hold scripture in one and the book of nature in the other to become evolved and all knowing.  Nature teaches continuously and we are to be the disciples of the creatures and creation shared with us.

Discernment is one of the greater gifts, and after reading a simple story such as penned by Mr. Bach, I am further reminded how we are part of the fabric of life and the seagulls at the seashore are part of our family. My purpose in life perhaps will be revealed through the long and joyful hours of listening to and delighting in the cries of the gulls, the sounds of the wind through the Cape Cod pines, and the stories of others.  Stories written in scripture years ago in one hand and stories such as each of us heard today from a friend or family member, and Jonathan in the other will give us direction and guidance continually.

Lift up your hands, challenged Father Thomas, lift them and hold on to the great books for they will be your teachers.    Even the little books like Jonathan Livingston Seagull will teach us.

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