As I was meditating this morning I found myself attracted to the song of our local cardinal.  What I realized is it was actually two cardinals singing in harmony.

With the warmth of summer, we keep the windows open enough to feel the fresh air and the sounds of the season.  We have a cardinal that starts singing each morning at about 4:30 AM.  It has become my informal alarm clock this summer.

The cardinal also acts as a reminder for me as to why I meditate.  My goal is to be more present to where I am and who I am in the world.  With this goal in mind I have gotten in the habit of opening the windows in our living room before I start my meditation session.

I frequently hear the cardinal’s song as I meditate.  When I don’t hear the cardinal singing it is often because I have drifted off into the world of “monkey mind” where random thoughts bounce around in my head.  .  What I have discovered when I am present and my mind is quiet is that there are a number of cardinals in our neighborhood.  I have simply made an assumption that once I hear the clear sound of the closest cardinal within earshot I don’t really need to listen much farther.

I can’t help but wonder how often I fail to hear the sound of the cardinal behind the cardinal or the quiet voice behind the loud voices closest to my ear.