
At 6:00 am, while I’m out on my morning walk, it’s still dark and very quiet. if the wind is blowing in the right direction, I may hear traffic from the interstate highway. An occasional car starts up and pulls out of a driveway.
Suddenly, I realize a bird is chirping. It’s an isolated voice as the first bit of light appears on the horizon. After a minute, another bird answers. Then another. The air is soon filled with many voices singing many songs.
They know. They know it’s time to sing. It’s time to tell the world to wake up.
And the world does. Lights come on. Cars are on the road. Dogs bark. Trash containers bang against garbage trucks. A small plane flies above. The brakes of a school bus whines to a stop for students.
These birds are so small. But their songs are so loud. Their voices carry a long distance. Farther than my voice at a full yell.
I whistle back. I imagine I can communicate with the birds. I mimic the song I hear. But I don’t know what the notes mean. Maybe I’m whistling something really stupid. Are they laughing at my dialect, accent, or nonsensical tunes? Probably. But it’s fun to try.