Bluebird

Is the bluebird of happiness a part of your life?

A mountain bluebird, which is all-over blue, unlike the eastern and western bluebirds.

As a nation, we are obsessed with happiness. It’s in our mission statement as a country! “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

But is happiness something that we can track down? How can we encourage actual bluebirds to visit our yards? Is there a way to have virtual bluebirds as well as the metaphorical “bluebird of happiness” in our lives? How do we achieve that?

In this podcast I talk about resources for inviting bluebirds into your yard, as well as your heart.

The Stokes write many fantastic books on birding, this one is excellent as well.

The Stokes write in depth about bluebird behavior, how to set up a “bluebird trail,” how to discourage sparrows and swallows from taking over the nest boxes and everything and anything you can image having to do with encouraging bluebirds.

During the podcast, I also talk about the fact that not just any birdhouse (or, “nesting box”) will do. Bluebirds like a specific kind of box so as to deter bird bullies and predators such as raccoons.

This is NOT a good birdhouse for bluebirds!

See that huge entrance hole in the nesting box above? And that giant perch pole? These are no-no’s for bluebirds (and most songbirds actually). This is the type of of birdhouse you’ll find at hardware stores or craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s. While they are fun to paint and display, serious birders shun these.

The huge hole encourages bigger birds that are “bullies” to bluebirds. It also encourages predators like owls, crows and raccoons to reach in there and grab their babies. Ack! So you want a nestbox that looks more like this:

Notice that there is no perch, and the entrance hole is especially deep to discourage predators.

Birdhouse opens for easy cleaning and comes with instructions on placement and how to ensure only bluebirds use it.

And the big secret for luring bluebirds is meal worms! You can buy dried ones on Amazon, but they prefer live ones. This website has tons of information on meal worms and how to train bluebirds to come to your feeder.

But how do we have the proverbial “bluebird of happiness” in our hearts? Is this something that we have to search and find? On the podcast I talk about choices, and how visiting a 12-step program with a friend really enlightened me about circumstances and happiness. There were people in attendance with out of control craziness going on in their lives and yet, they had found happiness. I found this fascinating. That they refused to let circumstances dictate their happiness.

I mentioned a quote from a friend of Anne Lamott’s named Paul, I frequently remind myself of this truth:

“I try to enjoy life the way it is, because that’s the way it’s going to be anyway.”

I also talk about a list I posted on my bathroom mirror by E.B. Pusey. You might want to copy and paste it for yourself.

Never allow yourself to complain about anything—not even the weather.

Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or anywhere else.

Never compare your lot with another’s.

Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

Never dwell on tomorrow—remember that tomorrow is God’s, not ours.

The journal of Happiness Studies reports that those who are the happiest have close ties with family and friends. Wealth did not matter as much as these factors. And I talked about how difficult family members can be at time, perfectly illustrated by my mother’s needlepoint pillow in her guest room:

You are leaving by Sunday, aren’t you?

The Bible reminds us that In marriage, relationships and life in general, happiness is about choices. We can choose our focus, our state of mind, just like we can choose to encourage bluebirds to visit our yards.

Paul states in 1 Timothy 6: 6-8,

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

This is the opposite message we are getting from the world around us, which is, What we don’t have will make us happy—go for it—just do it! The Timothy passage reminds us that happiness is about choosing to enjoy what we have and being thankful for it.

Then when people remark on how “lucky” you are to have the bluebirds at your home or in your heart you can reply, “Luck has nothing to do with it. I chose to have them and so can you.”

An eastern bluebird, unlike the mountain bluebird (at the top of the post), the eastern and western bluebirds have red breasts