The woman and the white bird

The Woman and the White Bird

As told by Laughing Stone

Once there was an ordinary woman who had an ordinary life. Her name was forgotten; she was known only by titles: daughter, wife, worker, citizen, etc. She was always surrounded by voices calling to her by these titles. They asked things of her, had their expectations and judgments. Everyday she answered to the voices and went to sleep feeling that she could never do enough.

One day, as she was in her special corner in the garden, a radiant white bird appeared on the branch above. To her surprise, the bird spoke to her. It did not use any of her titles but called her by her true name. The woman was speechless. The bird continued, it told her she could ask it anything she wished and it would answer.

Her normal life forgotten at the moment by the sight of the bird, she could only think to ask, "Why do your feathers shine so?"

The voice of the bird was melodic and rich. "They have been washed in a thousand tears and dried by the warm breath of a thousand whispered dreams."

At that, the bird disappeared, leaving behind a single white feather that gently drifted down from the branch into the woman's outstretched hand.

The woman was filled with joy at her experience. She drifted through her life in bliss. The banal requests and duties did not seem so bad. But as the days passed, she began to doubt the experience. She had put the white feather in a box and tucked it in her top dresser drawer. She would take it out and look at it, trying to recall the feeling she had at first seeing the bird. But now, it looked to her like just another white feather.

After months had passed, she was too caught up in worries to think much about the bird. She was having problems at work, so she went to her special corner in the garden to find some peace. She could hardly believe her eyes when the beautiful white bird appeared again. Again it called her by her true name and told her she could ask it anything she wished.

Though the woman was awed by the bird, her worries about work were wrapped tightly around her mind, so she asked, "Am I going to lose my job?"

"Yes," answered the bird, and disappeared, leaving behind one feather.

The woman was in shock. She picked up the feather and put it with the other one. She didn't know what else to do. She was not filled with joy as before, but worry and restlessness. She did not like her job, but she did not want to be fired. Yet the very next day that is what happened. The woman was so upset that she immediately went home and out to the garden. She waited all day and into the evening for the bird but it did not appear.

Weeks went by, and every day, she would visit the garden corner looking for the bird, until one day it did appear. By this time she did not care about being fired, she had found another job like the one before, but now she was worried about something else. Before the bird could even call her name, she blurted out, "Is my husband cheating on me?"

"Yes," said the bird and dropped a single feather.

The woman ran into the house to confront her husband. He said that it was true. He had been seeing someone at work and now he planned to leave his wife to be with her. The woman was distraught. She did not go back to the garden corner for a long time.

Instead, she began to paint. As she painted picture after picture, her confidence in her skill grew. One day she decided to go out to that part of the garden with her paints and easel. The bird was already sitting in the branch when she got there. After it greeted her, she asked, "Will the art critic like my paintings?" That very evening, her work was being displayed at an event. A top art critic would be there and was going to write a review about the pieces. The woman was excited and was sure the bird would give a positive answer.

But the bird said "No," and disappeared.

The woman was shocked. She was morose throughout the art show and even though she sold several pieces, she could feel the disapproving eye of the critic upon her and her work. She could barely sleep during the next few nights. When the review appeared in the newspaper, she saw that the bird had been right, the art critic had not liked her work.

In anger, she destroyed her remaining paintings. The tree the bird appeared in she had chopped down. She wrapped a string around the box of feathers and shoved it to the back of her closet. Years went by and the box was forgotten.

Even without the bird, her life seemed filled with troubles. She was unhappy in her job. Men always seemed interested in younger, prettier women. Instead of painting, she now drank with coworkers in the evenings. They complained about work and talked about people behind their backs. Eventually, she started drink by herself. Soon she drank so much that she was fired from her job. She had to take a job that did not pay much at all after that. In the end, she had to sell the house and move into a small apartment.

During the packing and sorting of her things, she found her art supplies. At the sight of them, she cried and wondered how her life had come to this. When she pulled another box down from the shelf in the closet, a smaller box tumbled out from behind it. She picked up the smaller box and untied the string. The lid burst open and the beautiful white bird flew out of the box. It perched on a shelf and called her name.

All the anger from the years welled up in her. She threw the little box to the ground and shouted at the bird.

"Why have you brought this bad fortune upon me? Every time I asked you something, something bad happened. Look at my life now! Why have you done this to me?"

The bird looked at her for several moments with its dark, glossy eyes.

"I did not bring you misfortune. I am Truth. I can answer all questions. It was you who chose the questions. You chose what to focus on. You chose what to make of the answers. Your life has always been your own. I bring no fortune, good or bad."

The woman stared at the bird and then looked around her at the boxes. She looked down at the paints and brushes she had dropped earlier. Understanding of what the bird had said seeped into her. She looked up at it again.

"Then, I have something to ask of you."

The bird looked at her and nodded its plumed head once.

"Teach me how to fly." The woman braced herself to receive whatever answer the bird might give.

"All you have to do is take me into your heart." At that, the woman spread her arms wide, exposing her chest to the bird, who flew off the shelf and into her heart. Instead of pain, she felt warm light spread from her core, down her body, down her legs, along her arms, to her very fingertips. When she looked at her skin, she saw the same radiant white feathers of the bird. From that day forward the woman soared through her own life.