Green Jay : The Ordinary’s Exceptional Challenge

This is a Green Jay. They’re everywhere here in the South Texas Brush Country. I came largely to see this bird. I had gone nearly 53 years without realizing Green Jays even existed, much less that they were so common, so close. Ought to be simple. And yet. This photo is one of hundreds I took - and discarded - because this so-common bird is a surprising challenge to photograph. They seem to perch just shy of the light, or hop behind a branch, or fly off just as I’m bringing the camera to bear. My feelings went from excited challenge to frustrated exasperation and ultimately to bemused acceptance. I spent days, the entire trip, seeking this one bird. Still I question whether I received just “the” photo I envisioned.

Jewish observance takes note of the utterly common and the extremely rare. There are prayers we offer multiple times per day and know by heart. Think of the Shema. And there are prayers offered less than a handful of times in our lives. Think of the Blessing of the Sun, commemorating the sun’s return to its place during the week of Creation. Tradition teaches that we give pride of place to the common, the daily. In many ways this seems counterintuitive. Would it not seem more natural to emphasize the rare, unique, once-in-a-lifetime event? What is it about the common that merits our heightened attention? Why does the everyday rank more highly?

Our lives - our real, experienced, encountering lives - are composed of ordinary, daily events. And while we might think it’s these mundane activities that would be the easiest for us, paradoxically, often the opposite is true. “Why is everyone else’s family happy when mine is a challenge?” “Why am I the only one struggling with my job?” “How come everyone else finds love, and I languish alone?” Who hasn’t wrestled with these questions? Elevating the common before the rare reflects the recognition that we live the common - and that the common takes work. Ultimately I received a fulfilling - not perfect - but fulfilling photo of the Jay. I’m content. Our Tradition gives me that same imperfect comfort throughout my daily living as well.