Once, in a certain barnyard, at a certain time, there was born to a certain Mother Turkey, five little poults (baby turkeys). All the creatures of the barnyard came to the turkey pen to celebrate with Mother Turkey and to meet the new members of their community.
“Oh!” they all exclaimed, “Look at them! Look at them, two wonderful little girl poults, and two little boy poults. Oh, and over here…uh…oh my! What is that? Is it a boy, or a girl, or – or is it even a turkey at all?”
Mother Turkey tucked the fifth and very odd-looking newborn under her wing saying, ” I know he is a little different than the others but he’ll grow into himself. Yes, yes, I’m sure he will. It will be fine.”
And all the barnyard creatures nodded tentatively and agreed with her. “Yes, yes of course, you’re right dear, he’ll…. uh…. he’ll be just fine, yes just fine.” But as they left the turkey pen, they were whispering to each other about this odd little poult.
And it would come to pass that Mother Turkey would name this rather curious offspring, Eagerlet, because of his overly eager approach to almost everything. Eagerlet was different than the others, he wanted to get out of the barnyard, he yearned stretch his scrawny little wings and fly. He was always daydreaming, daydreaming about flying to the top, yes to the top of the barn where he might perch upon the weathervane and take in the world around him. His brothers and sisters, on the other hand were quit content to stumble about the barnyard eating cracked corn and laying about in the mud.
By and by, all the turkeys got together and agreed that if Eagerlet couldn’t make himself be and act more like a turkey, he was never going to fit in with them, and they sent one of the elders to tell him so. Eagerlet told the elder that he would try harder, and he did, but for some reason, he just couldn’t make him self into a turkey, no matter how hard he tried. And of course, after observing the turkeys for all this time he began to wonder why he would even want to be like a turkey.
Now, he had noticed across the barnyard, a family of feathered creatures that seemed little more like him. They were more active, they didn’t stumble and bumble around so, and most importantly, they didn’t make that silly gobbling noise that the turkeys were so fond of doing. He surmised that perhaps the farmer’s son, who was always playing pranks, moved the egg from which he was born, from the chicken coop to the turkey pen. “That must be it”, he said to him self, “I was born into the wrong family!” and with that, he promptly strolled across the barnyard and took up residence with the chickens.
The chickens welcomed him at first, but it wasn’t long before Rooster came to him and said, “You don’t seem much like a chicken to me at all. You don’t act like a chicken and you look less like a chicken every day. If you expect to fit in with us, you are going to have to somehow make your self into a chicken.” Eagerlet hung his head and said, “I promise I’ll try harder.” Rooster told him that if he expected to be successful, he would have to scratch for food, taking it away from others in order to be sure to have enough for himself. Rooster also advised that he must constantly squawk and pick at the others in order to establish and maintain his superiority over them. Eagerlet faithfully tried all this as promised, but he couldn’t do it, he just could not get his heart comfortable with this way of living. He seemed to know, in his own heart of hearts, that there was a much better way of life. He knew he had to somehow find out who and what he really is and perhaps that would lead him to where he belonged.
In taking a long look at the barnyard and the creatures who live in it, Eagerlet decided it wasn’t the place for him. It was so confining, so limited, and all the barnyard creatures were hopelessly dependant upon others to provide for them. He sensed a powerful yearning for freedom and independence. But what was he to do? Where was he to go? He felt lost, afraid and a little ashamed as he hung his head and wandered into the forest, leaving the barnyard behind forever.
As it happens, Eagerlet chose the worst of times to leave the barnyard. Great, dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, leaves were falling from the trees, and a deep ominous chill wrapped its freezing fingers about his young and fragile body. Snowflakes began to drift about, and soon a wind rose up slamming snow and ice hard against his still sparsely developed plumage. He instinctively knew that he must find shelter right away or perish.
The Great One had been with him all along, and silently directed him to a modest cave on the edge of the forest which might afford him safe haven through the rapidly approaching dark, cold and lonely days. Even deep within the cave, the cold and frozen grip of winter found and embraced Eagerlet with a bitter chill. He huddled close to the floor shivering in the cold, alone in the dark. “What will become of me?” he thought as his consciousness slowly, slowly, slowly, slipped away.
In time Eagerlet awoke. He found himself still in the dark and still alone, but he was somehow warm and comfortable, as if something had wrapped itself around him. He couldn’t imagine what it was, but he was grateful, for he sensed that it was concealing him from the frozen drafts, which were moving silently through the cave in search of his otherwise vulnerable body. He was very hungry though, and was thinking that even cracked corn and wheat chafe would look good about now. He sensed things moving about on the floor of the cave and picked up something in his beak. It was delicious! He didn’t know what it was, probably a grub or a worm or something, but it was sure better than chicken feed! He feasted on these tasty morsels for a while and then drifted back to sleep. This was the way of the winter for him: sleep, eat, sleep, eat – nothing else.
As Eagerlet slept, Mother Earth faithfully turned round and round as she has for millions of years. Sun and the Moon danced their special dance from north to south across the horizon, spinning day into night and transforming darkness into light. Finally, one day Sun sent its warm and brilliant rays directly into Eagerlet’s sanctuary, awakening him to a new day, a new season, and an abundance of new opportunities. His intuition told him that it was time to go back out into the world and search for his identity. He stretched his legs. Well at least he tried to stretch, but he couldn’t move, his whole body seemed paralyzed. Nothing but his head and neck would respond to his mental requests to move and stretch.
“What is this?” he thought, as he pushed hard with his legs. It was as though he were wrapped in a cocoon of some kind. He knew he had to get away from what ever it was hat had captured him, his very life depended on it. He began to scratch with his claws and push hard with his legs. He pushed harder and harder until finally, one little claw broke through the prison wall followed closely by a scrawny little bird leg. After much struggle the second leg broke through. Now to the wings: push, push, and push, harder, harder, harder! He could feel the cocoon weakening and giving way, and all of a sudden – Wham! Both wings popped out at the same time! He looked a bit like some kind of a strange winged turtle, stuck to the floor of a cave. He fought to get his legs under him, and then he strained to stand up on the floor of the cave. There seemed to be something very heavy clinging to his back.
He stood in the cave swaying under what seemed like the weight of the whole world on his back and shoulders; he could hardly bear the load. With the sun beaming brightly into the cave he could see, for the first time, where he was and what it was like. He was in a cave full of bats that were hanging from the ceiling. The floor of the cave, as well as everything on it, including one bird-like turtle, was covered with bat guano! YUK! Yuk, yuk, yuk! “So this is what kept me from freezing during the winter,” he said to himself. “I was wrapped in a cocoon of bat guano! YUK!” He shivered at the thought, sending guano flying across the cave. That was about the time that the head bat swooped down and landed on the floor in front of him. The bat said, “Listen my friend, we’ve enjoyed your company all winter, but if you are going to stay here with us, you’re going to have to be more like a bat. At the very least you will have to learn to hang from the ceiling or, well … Need I say more? Look at you. You’re a mess.”
Having no desire to hang upside-down from a ceiling for the rest of his days, Eagerlet thanked the bats for their hospitality and headed off into the forest on a quest for home and identity. Soon he came to the edge of a great cliff. As he gazed down into the precipice, he had a great desire to just fling himself over the edge. He didn’t know who he was, what he was to do, or where he belonged. It seemed he was destined to be a stranger to the entire world for the rest of his life.
From way up in the sky he heard a call. A sound the likes of which he had never heard before. He looked up and saw two of the most wonderful creatures he had ever seen. They seemed to just be resting on the air somehow, effortlessly darting between the clouds and gliding all across the sky. “Wow!” he said, remembering his dreams of flying to the top of the weathervane on the roof of the barn, “Wow! If only I could be like that! If I could soar among the clouds the way they do, and see the world from that height! Oh, life would be so grand. What freedom, what wonder they must experience up there.”
As he looked up watching the flight he was unknowingly backing away from the edge of the cliff towards the forest. An old owl, which had been watching from his perch in a pine tree, startled Eagerlet when he said, “Who? Who? Who do you think you are?! What makes you think you could do such a thing? Look at yourself; you are too young and too inexperienced. And besides, that kind of thing takes lots of training, and you just don’t have it in you. You’re not smart enough, not good enough! Forget it.” Eagerlet looked at the old owl and remembered someone once telling him that owls were very wise, very wise indeed. And he said, “Yup, I guess you’re right, I’m just a dreamer. Perhaps I should go back to the barnyard,” He shrugged his wings in resignation, hung his head, and started back towards the forest.
Twice more the great creatures called to him. He turned and looked up, “I can do it,” he said, “I know I can!” He started moving cautiously towards the edge of the cliff thinking he might be able to just step off the cliff, spread his wings and fly. As he stood on the edge trying to work up his courage, a group of crows nearby shouted, “Caw! Caw! Caw! You can’t do that; you’ve never done anything right.” He looked at the crows as they continued berating him, shrugged again, and started back towards to the forest.
Again the two great creatures called to him, their voices clear and strong. Again he looked up in awe of their flight. “Yes I can! Yes I can!” he yelled as he jogged towards the edge, preparing to make the leap………
A great South American Toucan who had been sunning himself on a nearby bolder while enjoying the unfolding drama decided to contribute; “No way Jose, you will never make it. You can’t do this, it is not for you!” he shouted at just moment Eagerlet was going to jump. Startled by this strange voice, Eagerlet slammed on the brakes, digging in with his claws, almost slipping over the edge, and sending rocks and debris cascading downward. Now he was really scared and confused, and he ran in shame, as fast as he could towards the forest to hide.
He was almost to the tree line when from on high, the two great calls came again. He stopped, turned, and looked up in awe of their flight. Eagerlet then focused on the edge of the cliff. All the other birds were shouting, “Who do you think you are? Caw! Caw! You can’t do that! No way Jose, No way Jose!” He covered his ears with his wings and he ran full out, screaming as loud as his voice would allow, “I know I can, I know I can fly above the clouds! I am a great flyer!” He ran to the edge of the cliff and bravely leaped towards the heavens!
Eagerlet boldly spread his wings as far and as wide as they would spread; he held his head up high and with great hope in his heart……….. Fell like a rock!
He tumbled over and over, again and again. He wrapped his wings tightly around his head to try and protect himself from the fall. He continued to fall upside-down,downside-up, faster and faster, and deeper and deeper into the abyss. All of a sudden, he hit an outcropping of rock on the side of the cliff, and the impact threw him away from the face of the cliff in a flurry of feathers and an avalanche of bat guano, which had up until then been clinging to his shoulders and back. The blow flung his wings away from his face and straight out on each side and………….He caught the wind! Swishhhhhhhhh!
“Whoa! What’s this”? He screamed out in amazement. “I’m flying!” And he was indeed flying, ……..but not very well. His wings were untried, and he was still loaded down with guano. The squawking, discouraging gallery parched on the cliff edge above, watched the seen and continued mocking him. “Caw, caw, we told you so, we told you, caw!” and “Who do you think you are? You see, I was right, you can’t do it!” and “No way Jose, adios, see you in that great forest in the sky some day.”
All he wanted to do was escape the discouraging squeaks and squawks of these doubtful creatures. He pushed hard with his wings, once, twice, thrice, and then again. With each powerful thrust of his wings, more and more guano fell away and he rose higher in the air. The two great birds above saw that he had made a bold commitment and was giving it the best he had. They also saw that he was struggling with his untrained talents, and so they swooped down to help. They flanked him on the right and left and gently escorted him to a warm thermal of air, which was rising from the canyon floor. As the three of them rode the thermal, slowly rising higher and higher towards the clouds, the one on the right offered encouragement and hope.
“You can do it!” he said, “You can fly so high! Say it, say I can fly so high!”
“I can fly so high!” replied Eagerlet.
“Your wings are so powerful! Say my wings are so powerful” the one on the right encouraged.
“My wings are soooooooooooooo powerful!” came the instant response.
“Is that good? Or is that good?” asked the one the right.
“Oh! That’s very good!” Eagerlet answered.
Meanwhile the one on the left was saying, “Watch me. I’ll show you how I learned to fly this high. You can learn from me, just do what I did.”
And so up and up they went, all the way to the clouds and beyond. All the day they soared through the heavens. The great teachers taught him to dive, and to swoop, and to bank, and to turn. They taught him to fly so high he could see forever, but most importantly they taught him to ride the ever-changing winds, and to let their currents and natural movement carry him, effortlessly, to wherever he wanted to go. The one on the right constantly offered motivation and inspiration, while the one on the left offered encouragement, demonstrating skill and technique.
They flew until the Sun began to sink deep into the horizon, and then they slowly glided back to earth, coming to rest on a branch of a great oak tree which hung out over a clear mountain lake. This was one of those beautiful lakes that are so clear and so deep that you can see eternity in them. You can look into a lake like this and see the forest reaching to the sky, you can see the moon, and the stars, and the galaxies. And if you look closely, very closely, you can discover yourself in these waters. As the Eagerlet gazed into the mystical waters, he did not see what he expected to see, which was a misfit turkey. That being had passed away sometime during the long cold winter and was buried in the darkness of a cave. What he saw instead was the result of an amazing metamorphosis. The lake waters reflected an image of three beautiful creatures, resting on an oak branch. The one the right was the great American Balding Eagle. The one on the left was the great American Cherubic Eagle. And, to his amazement, he realized that the magnificent creature in the middle was his own eagle self, with his own unique plumage, and with his own unique and special set of talents and skills. He knew in that moment that he had finally come home. He knew what he was, what he had to offer, and what he must do. But, most importantly, Eagerlet knew that he was prepared to do whatever it would take to fulfill that calling.
And so it is……………..
No matter if you think you are a turkey, a chicken, or even an upside down bat, if you look closely enough you will find an eagle within. Open the hearts cage and let it fly.
“The little bird in the heart’s cage is putting out its head, looking this way and that way………” – Jelaluddin Rumi
Copyright © 2002 Rick Nichols
Rick Nichols, an expert on Human Potential, is a storyteller, author and international speaker. Rick inspires people to a new level of thinking about who they are, what they’ve got, and how to more successfully and effectively bring themselves to the world. His programs result in higher self-esteem, improved interpersonal relationships, greater synergy and enhanced creativity.
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