Killdeer : Blowin’ in the Wind

This is a Killdeer. I saw him on a morning the National Weather Service issued a “Wind Advisory.” And at what park did I see him? Windy Point! Perhaps not the most brilliant move to visit that park on that day…. And yet. The killdeer seemed unconcerned about the gusts, impervious to the wind that frankly left me freezing and trying to steady myself. He was unperturbed; I was shaking, trying anxiously to hold the camera steady to achieve sharp focus. A killdeer weighs about 2.5 ounces. I weigh… presumably enough to withstand the strong winds. And yet. The killdeer is a creature of the air, and these strong winds hardly registered. Me, a land-beast, desperately sought shelter where I could find a little respite.

The Bible recounts tales of two winds. The second verse of Genesis speaks of HaShem sending a wind across the waters. This occurs before there is even light, when the world is still void and unformed. The nature of this wind is (of course!) debated, but the sequencing is clear. This wind predates and is arguably prerequisite for all the creative energy which is about to form the universe. In Exodus, the Israelites are trapped on the shore of the Reed Sea. God sends a wind which piles up the waters allowing the people to cross on dry land. The wind is removed; the waters collapse back; and the Egyptian forces are killed. Here wind is a weapon, a tool of war to destroy a pursuing army.

Buffeting winds are inevitable, part of the world since its inception to the present day. These gusts are both a certainty to occur and unpredictable to forecast. The only question is our reaction. We can avoid the winds entirely by staying home. We can face them, looking for shelter. We can try to tough it out, using our heft to anchor us. Or we can turn into the wind, adjust our orientation, and find lift from it, absorbing the blowing power and channeling it for our benefit. Our attitudes determine whether we remain tied and storm-tossed or whether we rise up, finding elevation from seeming adversity. Winds, we’re taught, can be creative or destructive; the Killdeer shows how to stand rooted and find strength to rise above.