A room with a view
I woke up in the hospital in the middle of the night the other night, not sure where I was.
My confusion was likely related to waking up in five different medical facilities in as many weeks as doctors treated me for sciatica, muscle loss and cancer.
It didn’t help that the rooms in each of the facilities looked almost identical: a whiteboard occupying a large section of wall, etched with the name of the nurse on duty and the meds I was taking. There was the bed where I spent most of my time, a heavy curtain separating my room from the outside world, a bathroom, a closet and thank goodness, a window.
Don’t ask me how I scored the window I was relocated to this last time. It is a bay window — one of a few in the building — overlooking a courtyard. It has a wide seat that allows for a variety of cut flowers and plants, beyond which is a paned expanse of glass that looks our onto evergreen shrubs and a contrast of snow, flower boxes waiting for spring seeds and a bird feeder my friends brought from home.
The feeder attracts different species. But it is the cardinal that proliferates. Known in the spirit world for their connection to divinity, the popular red- and brown-bellied birds come to me in gendered pairs to flit and feed and, some believe, to deliver a message.
“When cardinals show up they bring with them luck and abundance,” says crystalclearintuition.com. “They show you what you deserve to have in life. Abundance may flow more seamlessly into your life when a cardinal is nearby.”
A male cardinal sighting can mean a visit from a deceased love one, letting you know, “I am here.” The male and female together can signify strength of family and familial love.
“When you see a red cardinal near your home, it should serve as a reminder to embrace the new beginnings ahead
and have faith that they will comfort your soul,” says caringcardinals.com.
“Cardinals appear when angels are near,” so the saying goes.
Not everybody believes in the spirit world, of course. But everybody believes in life. To see these gentle animals frolic and play so freely to open to the promise of joy no matter how deep the suffering.
I have a bit of a road ahead of me, especially given that I recently tested positive for COVID-19. I’m looking at whatever it takes to recover from this nasty disease, as well as the beginning of lifelong oral immunotherapy for leukemia and a long
many months of physical therapy.
I look to many resources to help me through, including God, family, friends, meditation, healthy food, exercise, art and the good and dedicated folks at various facilities.
I also look to the eager resolve of the cardinal, inadvertently teaching me how to live.
“I did not come into this world to be comforted,” writes poet Mary Oliver. “I came, like red bird, to sing.”