Reflections:Love shows up like its written

Written on January 4th, 2022.

Many weeks ago, I found an oddly shaped egg in my kitchen and I knew I hadn’t ordered it, yet it was there. Turns out my house help, Akka, found an egg on the balcony and just brought it to the kitchen. Realising the story behind it, I kept it back. When Akka understood that I intended to keep the egg where she had found it, she took a piece of cardboard, then a paper, and then an old cloth to cushion the egg and keep it safe.

The next morning, I woke up just to see that this time, there were two eggs! And soon after, a pigeon flew into the balcony to sit on them. It has now been a few weeks. At first, when I stepped out on the balcony, the pigeon flew away, not going too far, just far enough to see what I was doing, and slowly, it walked out and came back. The next day, it just stood up but didn’t fly away. Now we are in a space where I can do whatever I want on the balcony and the pigeon doesn’t fly. Once in a while, depending on the sun, Akka or I change the position of the pigeon home.

On the 2nd of January, when my friend was visiting, she spotted a chick. I couldn’t believe that my balcony had just witnessed the birth of a bird. I wonder if they had a passport, would they list my home number in it?

Anyway, the chick has been slowly growing. I was on a call with my mum yesterday, and she wouldn’t let me go without putting some grains and water out for the pigeon family. Now they have that. The pigeon family and the chick just experienced love from at least 2,500 km away.

Today, I was getting some lights fixed. There were two electricians in the house. One of them spotted the chick and noticed it was shivering. The wind is cold in Bangalore and especially on the 9th floor, it can feel colder. He slowly went towards it and moved the pigeon home into the sun, closer to the grains and water. As of a few minutes ago, the chick is chilliiinngggg in the sun, with all the warmth from the sun and from a stranger’s heart.

The egg, the chick and Pigeon, all chilling in the sun after we moved them to the sun spot for the day.

The chick may never remember its place of birth or all the kindness and love it received without ever asking for it or even knowing it. This baby pigeon must have it written somewhere, no? To receive so much love from so many people who seemingly have no connection with it, yet there is a deeper connection that most of us would never perceive.

It then also made me think about how lucky I must have been growing up. All this abundant love and kindness that shows up without us ever noticing it. Just because we can’t see it clearly doesn’t mean it’s not there.

If anything, here is what shows up for me - look out for moments of love and kindness that show up in your lives. And like the new words we learn that suddenly appear everywhere, love will too! And if you can’t find it around you, then create it. <3

I walked back to the balcony one day, and the chick wasn’t there anymore. I think it went where it was supposed to go, probably to the skies. And now, that space on my balcony felt empty.

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I was visiting a nursery to bring some plants, but then spotted something that reminded me of this chick. Here is what I remember writing after bringing this dove home.

Found this dove a few moons ago and I just knew it had to come home with me.

She sits in a same spot where a pigeon family once built a temporary house, where, for a few moments amidst all this chaos around the world, a baby pigeon received so much love from strangers, like its written.

I used to hate the feeling of being replaced.

But after all these years,

I'm learning that once the moment passes, you exist in the all the futures forever.

While the moment may not be thought about, the future exists the way it does now because I'm the past.

The baby pigeon, the family, they are went away like it was written, this home is going away too,

but this dove, she does and always will remind me of a space I shared with this family for a brief moment.

The dove now is a reminder, you may not exists physically anymore, but you are never truly replaced.

Lots of love back at you universe!