This story, by Sharon Harris, opens a window into the true nature of birds and their unique bond with us.

The Wisdom of Chaco

Chaco, our 5-inch high, 15-year-old greycheek parakeet, is a huge presence in our lives. When my husband, Bill, and I asked him what he would like people to know about himself through Rae's newsletter, he answered in his usual profound and enthusiastic manner:

"This is a great opportunity! I want them to know how much we all share, living on this earth together. I'm a fellow being in the form of a bird. I experience life limited by my physical capabilities, as all living creatures do. We birds experience a wide range of emotions--delight and joy, satisfaction, fear, panic, nurturing, (both males and females) peace, awe, sadness, and anger--but we don't get as emotionally involved as humans do.  

I chose a life with humans, rather than in the wild, for the close connection that is possible between birds and humans. Birds have a group spirit with one another--we literally share a common consciousness. It's what enables birds to fly together; it couldn't happen otherwise. We're like one body, one mind, yet each has his or her individual consciousness. Many birds have a passing knowledge of humans, but when we actually live together, we can observe the complexity of human life and its stress. We don't share those stresses, because they come from human endeavor, but we do feel the emotions that humans express and are definitely affected by them. For instance, in our house, my family always has "something to do." They make lists. There are a lot of comings and goings. Humans deal with constraints of time and space. They raise children, work, prepare meals, buy things, and interact with others. They have financial considerations. Often my family feels tension that comes from all these "doings." Living with stress can affect animal friends deeply, but in general, we have greater power to balance the effects of human emotions than do humans themselves. Our presence can soften the effects of the stresses of human existence."

Sharon:I really understand what Chaco is saying. When I feel pressured because I have "too much to do," he picks up on it right away, lets out some jungle squawks, and gives me quite a hard nip if he's nearby. He tells Rae that it's a "wake-up" call!  I just have to laugh at how he catches me every time. Sometimes I put him on my shoulder in these moments and we have a little dance around the room. Then I go back to what I was doing, feeling lighthearted, rather than stressed out.

Rae asked Chaco what he believed humans learned from him--not just from Bill and myself, but from everyone with whom he comes in contact.  He was full of joy when he answered:

"People have learned to sing and laugh, to enjoy the tiniest details of nature; to expand their ability to see and experience the world; to be sensitive to a physically tiny being."

Sharon: We've walked in downtown Manhattan with Chaco in his travel cage, and even the busiest people are drawn to stop and say hello. They're full of questions: "Is it a boy or a girl bird? How old is he? What's his name? What does he eat? What kind of bird is he? Can he talk?" Just being with Chaco can change the way a person feels in the moment.

We stopped seeing Chaco as a "cute little bird" long ago, thanks to Rae telling us that he'd like us to see him--and all creatures--for what they are: sentient beings with unique personalities. His sensitivity and capacity to love was brought out fully when his companion, Lucy, passed away from an illness five years ago. Rae asked Chaco how he felt about it:

"Yes, Lucy was my soul mate. We had spent several lives together. Her time to pass came and I knew when it drew near. Her suffering was minimal and she passed into spirit gently. I felt my breast filled to bursting with grief. I had to go within to heal.

I wrote a song about her virtues and sang it to her; it was healing because I expressed my love in sorrow.  She was very expansive, very loving, and a true friend. She was creative and funny and aware of everything.  After she left, she would often come to sing to me to show me that she was whole, healed, and happy. That helped a lot. When beings leave this world, our spirits live on and we continue to love those who are left behind."

Sharon: Yes, when Lucy died, I felt so much love from her. She conveyed a beautiful image to me--that she would "sit on my shoulder forever." This was a time when we were especially grateful for Rae's help in talking with Chaco. It was both mysterious and healing to share with an animal friend the experience of losing a being that we all loved.  Chaco helped us get over our sorrow. One thing he said through Rae was that we had been a unit of four, and now that we were just three, we each had to expand in order to fill the empty space. He said he would expand in ways that we would notice, and he actually did look bigger within a few weeks. Interestingly, he had picked up a habit of Lucy's--puffing out her feathers fully. He also took on other traits of Lucy's: he had never liked to preen, which she had done constantly, and he took up preening as if he'd invented it! He hated to be sprayed with water, which she loved, and now he just loves it. This inspired us to live more expansively in our own ways.

We're honored to share our lives with Chaco and grateful to Rae for opening a window through animal communication. Rae thanked Chaco for our wonderful session together and asked if there were something specific he would like to tell humans who don't have much experience with birds. He said:

"Yes, that we all share the vitality and fullness of life. Each form of life fulfills its destiny from that perspective. By knowing that, we can honor the fullness of life. I know I live a unique life between the avian and human worlds, particularly with the added dimension of communication with my human family.  It's true I've made sacrifices in order to live with humans; not being able to fly is the most significant. But being with humans has expanded my life and my knowledge, which I can share with all my feathered kindred spirits who wish to hear. I consider this one of the main purposes of my life."