Omens

I’m not a superstitious person but I have a little story of omens to share. Last winter, when I was quite sick and still dealing with my diagnosis, I was awakened every morning by a group of crows that alight on the trees outside my bedroom window. Every morning for weeks on end, these crows would come caw and squawk to wake me up. It was rather annoying and, since crows are traditional symbols of death, their morning greeting was that much less enjoyable. It was odd to me that of all the trees in our neighborhood, these darn crows chose my window to serenade every day. When spring came, they found somewhere else to go and I was glad to be rid of them.

I had forgotten about the crows until late summer, when I went up to Cape Cod for a few days. One afternoon, I was taking a quick nap on the couch while waiting for a friend to drop buy. A group of crows chose that moment to come sit on the railing of the deck right outside the window and cawed their lungs out as I tried to nap. When my friend arrived, I mentioned to her about how the crows seem to be following me. She emailed me a few days later to say that she had looked into the symbolism of crows. They are not just symbols of death but are often viewed in mythology as symbols of transition or change. That is a less ominous interpretation so I prefer it.

So, yesterday, on Christmas morning, I went down to the curb to get the paper and heard a loud knocking, like someone hammering. Above me in the tree were two large Pileated Woodpeckers. They were pounding away at the tree and knocking off chunks of bark looking for a six-legged breakfast. I was pretty impressed. I often see the little Downy woodpeckers in our tress and the Flicka, which also ground feeds. But Pileateds are pretty large and I have only seen or heard their calls or hammering when deep in the woods. I have never seen them in the more open, residential areas. So, I decided to look up the mythology of the woodpecker.

Woodpeckers are a symbol of opportunity (as in Opportunity Knocks – what other animals see such hope for a good meal in a dead tree?). They are also associated with a source of creativity or returning to ones roots. Now that’s a good omen for Christmas day.

I am still not a big believer in the supernatural. But the crows and woodpeckers do make a good catalyst to ponder 2009 and 2010. 2009 was certainly a year of transition. Not just for my family but for the many thousands who have been affected by layoffs, foreclosures and the trials of a bad economy. But perhaps 2010 will bring about new opportunity, new sources of creativity and a returning to the important things – like family and friends – who are the roots of who we are. So I wish you all the best for new opportunities in 2010 as we transition to the New Year. Merry Christmas!