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Wendy Mackowski
has earned the Certification as a Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) after completing two years of training from The Coaches Training Institute. Wendy has also written many articles on various life & business coaching topics.

The Bluebirds' Song

by Wendy Mackowski, Inner North Coaching

This is the story of a land not far from here known as Pigeon Paradise. Located in a massively large gilded cage with green plants and vines intertwined among the bars, Pigeon Paradise is quite an elegant sight to behold. Within the bars of this beautiful cage live many different types of pigeons, but only two particular families are of interest to our story today. They are the Gray family and the Black family. These two families have been friends for many years. They work together at the same jobs and they have nests very close to one another. Both have two lovely children of their own and live a very safe and secure life.

You can well imagine then the disruption that happened around Pigeon Paradise when Mrs. Black and Mrs. Gray started to have reoccurring visions of a world outside this one they knew so well. A magical world where they could all fly freely. They had heard from others that there was such a world, but that you had to be a Bluebird to go there. The one thing that all pigeons knew for sure was that a pigeon is not and never will be a Bluebird. Even so, Mrs. B. & G. sometimes thought they heard faint sounds of a Bluebird's song that seemed to be coming from a great distance away. This other world was something all Pigeons wondered about now and then, but most of them distracted themselves with other things because, as we all know, the unknown can be pretty scary most of the time. Besides, didn't they have everything they could possibly ever want right here in Pigeon Paradise?

Every so often, the two Mrs. birds could not stand the suspense and they would fly out of their cage just a little ways to test their wings. No one in Pigeon Paradise liked this very much. When they returned, they would be chastised immensely by family and friends:

"Don't ever do such an irresponsible thing again!"

"Who knows what dangers lurk out there!"

"You might have been hurt going so far away from all of us who can protect you!"

"There is no need to question what's out there. Be happy with what you have."

Mrs. G. was especially susceptible to this and would feel very guilty and quickly get used to the comfort of the cage again. One day when the two Mrs. birds were sitting very quietly alone, something happened which neither of them could ignore. They both heard the Sound clearer than ever before. It was the unmistakable sound of singing. But it contained within it a joy they had never before imagined. It sounded like the joy of pure freedom! This sound stirred something deep inside them that they knew they had to follow. It reminded them of something long forgotten from their memories and seemed somehow the key to whom they needed to become.

Mr. B. & G. were terrified by this new and unexplainable longing they saw in their wives. They tried very hard to convince them not to go. But all the guilt and fear in the world could not dampen their spirits for this one great experience. Besides, it was just a quick trip out and back, they were sure there was no danger in that.

So, Mrs. Black and Mrs. Gray set out on their great adventure --a leap of faith into the great unknown--with only the support of each other and a distant melody to pull them forward. This time, when they got a few feet beyond the cage, they saw an open window. They knew instinctively that this was what they were seeking and WHOOSH--they were gone.

Once they got outside they could not believe the view! They saw a vast blue sky that went on seemingly forever. They saw blankets of green rolling hills, snow-capped mountains dotted with crisp evergreens, crystal clear lakes and winding rivers that emptied into sparkling oceans--an entirely new perspective of life! They found themselves flying with many kinds of birds, but all with one common purpose--to live each moment fully in the total joy of life! They were soaring high with wings they never knew they had--using their body and mind to it's fullest potential.

That distant melody became a World of Music. Vibrant sounds of a thousand voices exulting in the glory of the Now moment. Suddenly, as their voices harmonized with the beautiful song of the Bluebirds, a miraculous thing occurred, they realized they were no longer pigeons but had become beautiful Bluebirds themselves! How could it be that they were now Bluebirds instead of pigeons? Then their long-forgotten memory suddenly became clear to them again: the only difference between a pigeon and a Bluebird was in their own mind. All pigeons were really Bluebirds just wearing pigeon masks. All they really needed to be transformed was the courage to enter the Song. Once they found this courage to fly freely and sing with the other birds, their masks were no longer needed.

The trip into this other world was like nothing they had ever dreamed possible. No one could ever have explained to them this sense of peace and joy, this oneness with nature and the universe! They never wanted to leave, but they knew it was almost time to return to Pigeon Paradise. That world had been their safety and security for as long as they could remember.

So, with all the willpower they could muster, back they went through the open window and into their gilded cage. They were very happy to see the Mr. birds and their lovely children. They put on their pigeon masks and tried to act the same as they were before. All the while searching in their minds for a way to tell everyone in Pigeon Paradise the wonderful secret they had learned.

Everyone was a little apprehensive to ask them what they saw out there. It scared them to think that there was more to life than their little secure cage. Although Mrs. B. & G. were trying to act as before, people could see they were not the same. Their masks had become thin and illusive and the pigeons were disturbed:

"You've changed."

"You are acting strange. We don't like it."

"What happened to the old you? We like you better the way you were before."

They found it close to impossible to describe what they'd seen to anyone else, but they tried desperately to get their families and friends to come and see for themselves what was out there. A few birds actually did become excited about the possibility that there might be something more, but most were either confused or threatened by the prospect.

The Mr. birds were really scared now and tried very hard to hold on to their cage lives. Their fears actually made the Mrs. birds question whether what they had seen could have really happened, or if it had all been a dream. Luckily they had each other to remind them when they would forget that other world. When fear started to cloud their vision they only had to get in touch with that place of Love in their heart and remember the powerful feelings of peace and aliveness to gain their courage again. They even noticed, because of their influence, that their children were starting to hum a faint yet familiar tune.

There came a day when no matter how much the Mrs. birds loved the Mr. birds and many of their old friends, they could no longer live caged within these pigeon fears. It seemed the more they tried to convince others that they too were Bluebirds inside and only needed to find the courage to fly into this new expansive world, the greater and greater many of the other's fears became. Not only that, but Mrs. B. & G.'s pigeon masks were getting fainter and fainter and soon would disappear. They felt themselves needing to soar and sing with the other Bluebirds again.

In the end the Mrs. birds realized they could never return to the pigeons they were before. They ultimately had to choose between the safe, security of Pigeon Paradise and the expansive freedom in their new world of Vision. When they looked at their children's inspired attempts to test their wings and thought of all the families of birds they'd seen flying freely in that other world, they could see there really was no choice.

So with love in their hearts and tears in their eyes Mrs. Black and Mrs. Gray, along with their children and a few others who had begun to hear the tune, let go of their pigeon past and flew freely towards the Bluebirds' song. With a prayer that all the others would soon be inspired to believe and fly along.

Wendy Mackowski, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, lives in Orange County, California and is the owner of Inner North Coaching. For more information about coaching, sign up for Wendy's free email newsletter, or permission to reprint this story, contact Wendy.

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