The Hidden Deterrent

For months, the birds came faithfully.

Doves, cardinals, blue jays, and others would gather around the water and grains placed for them. They arrived in the mornings, during the heat of the day, and whenever they felt called to visit. The offering remained the same, and so did their response.

Then they stopped coming.

The water was still there.
The grains were still there.
The invitation had not changed.

After watching more closely, I realized something had.

Deer had begun eating nearby plants, so I covered them with a white net for protection. The net solved one problem, but it created another. To the birds, it may have appeared unfamiliar, unsafe, or human enough to cause caution.

What they desired was still available.
What they needed was still present.

Yet something nearby had become a deterrent.

How often does this happen in our own lives?

We focus on what we want and work hard to make it possible. We prepare the space. We create the opportunity. We make ourselves available. Then we wonder why what we seek does not arrive.

Sometimes the answer is not found in what is missing.

Sometimes it is found in what is present.

A habit.
A fear.
A belief.
A distraction.
A way of speaking.
A way of withholding.
A protective measure that once served a purpose but now stands where invitation should be.

We often search for the thing that will bring our desires closer. Yet there are times when the greater work is identifying what quietly pushes them away.

The birds reminded me that an invitation can remain open while a deterrent stands at the door.

— Mianorh