Every morning, I sit with my tea and watch the hummingbirds.
They’re tiny, fast, and surprisingly fierce. They can look almost aggressive as they dart from place to place, defending their space with incredible determination. And yet, they’re also incredibly beautiful.
Sometimes I start a painting using butterfly pea flower tea to stain the paper. That creates a beautiful abstract background. Giving me somewhere to start, because a blank piece of paper can be very intimidating.
Peaflower tea is naturally blue, but when I added a little lemon, something magical happened—the blue transformed into purple. Chemistry is awesome!
I painted without thinking much about the hummingbirds I see every morning.
It wasn’t until the painting was finished that I noticed the connection.
Often we do the same thing in our own lives. We look at a situation, a person, a problem—or even ourselves, and decide we know what we’re seeing. We label it. We judge it. We react to it.
But sometimes, the thing we’re looking at doesn’t need to change. We just need to change the way we see it.
Maybe the person who seems difficult is actually showing you where you need a boundary.
Maybe the mistake you’re beating yourself up over is actually pointing you toward something new.
Maybe the part of yourself you’ve been trying to fix is also the part that makes you resilient, determined, or uniquely you.
Did you know that a flock of hummingbirds is called a Charm?! How much do you love that?! Hummingbirds seem so delicate and vibrant, but t hey are fierce, territorial creatures. That’s why you rarely see them in Charm, unless they are migrating.
The hummingbird reminded me that two things can be true at the same time: something can be fierce and beautiful. It can be challenging and worthy of appreciation. Sometimes a tiny shift in perspective, like adding lemon to blue tea, can completely change what becomes visible.
So, the next time you feel territorial, aggressive or your heart racing as fast as a hummingbird’s, reframe it and tell yourself “I’m just having a hummingbird moment”
When was the last time you had a hummingbird moment?