Flight of the Fearless

On the window ledge outside my office, a robin built a nest for three bright blue eggs. My co-worker and I watched two baby birds crack out into the world. Days later, the third one hatched. We named her Runtie. Over the next few weeks, I noticed that Runtie didn’t chirp and her feathers didn’t grow like the other birds’. I wondered if her growth was delayed because she was born last. But one day I looked out the window and saw Runtie bounce out of the nest and onto the ledge. She looked daringly over the edge, and, without warning, parachuted down to the ground, flapping frantically. Nothing bad happened, but I wondered how a flightless baby could survive out of the nest. I didn’t want to think of what could go wrong! The next morning I saw Runtie bouncing around in the wet grass. She looked up at a tree. A high-pitched chirp echoed through the air. Runtie took off, flying high, and landed on a twisty limb. I figured out that’s how it works. Live life without limitation, fear or expectation because in the end, experience is the only way to learn.