The Buzzard that showed the Way

Preconceptions are what the human world is made of. We make decisions based on little info and then act upon those decisions without giving them a moments thought. We judge people by the way they are dressed, if someone is late, we make a judgment about their character, if we are given advice by people we are unsure of we ignore it, even if we think it makes sense and take advise from those who appear to be experts without checking their credentials.

We often assume the worst will happen to us, even with no reason as to why.  I’ve blogged about Fear and Faith before.  They are abstract concepts, the words, abstract nouns.

Here in the western civilised part of the world we are taught to only believe in something if it can be physically held or scientifically test it, or we can actually see and understand it.  The abstract we struggle with and that’s from humans…

Imagine if it’s not humans that are trying to communicate with us.

This is what happened to me on Sunday.

I was out prepping a walk experience last week and as ever with footpaths in Kent, the path had vanished completely. There was no sign of it anywhere, no styles, kissing gates or anything to say, go this way. I had already found one bridge hidden in the undergrowth so I knew I was on track. But as to where the path was on the other side of the field…

Buzzard appeared calling and flew over me and landed in a tree. My spirits were raised, I’ve had messages from buzzard before, I went to the tree and hunted for anything that might be a path.

Nothing.

Buzzard then flew over to the corner of the field and vanished behind the trees. I walked toward the corner, but stopped short, figuring it was not as significant as I’d first thought.  Again, there was no sign of anything that might lead out of the field.  It all looked fenced off too, with a stream running right round.

I then spent the best part of an hour wandering around trying to find any recogniseable way forward rather than totally retrace our steps back to where I had come from. Eventually I found a way to the road and then the other end of the path which I then followed until I recognised any area of land that I had walked earlier.

A beautiful area of the Kent countryside opened up, meadow, trees and woodland all very much undisturbed, the path whilst obvious to the experienced countryman, was faint in outline to the less experienced.

And then I did recognise where I was, and do you know where exactly?

Right in the corner of that field that buzzard had flown over. Hidden in the undergrowth was another bridge and the path, as I said, to a most beautiful part of the Kent countryside.

Despite the series of events that I discussed in ‘The View Over the Wall’ that if I’d followed would have saved me approx., £20K , and the events leading up to the ‘Trees Grow Tall’ project, and many other incidences to numerous to write off as coincidence, I still have doubts.

It’s hard to throw of our western upbringings and conditionings, even in the face of proof. Damn preconceptions.

I’m getting better at recognising signs and taking advise given, but again, buzzard will be thinking, “I SHOWED YOU, when will you learn!?”

I kinda had a similar thought too…