The Nest

My hospital has a bird’s nest. It’s not a real bird’s nest, but a piece of art. Every day I walk along a row of windows that allow me to see the bird’s nest from many different angles. On the days when I am walking outside (usually from emergency in the main building back to the women’s hospital) I see the nest high above me in the sky.

There is something attractive and captivating about this nest. I find myself drawn to it and starting at it every time I see it. On the 4th floor of the hospital (where I spend most of my time) I am pretty much even with the nest. Many times I will find myself stopped in the hallway just starting at it. If I go up to the 5th floor, I can see the eggs in the nest. I haven’t gone up to the 6th floor yet – but I guess I’ll probably just get a better view of the eggs. I decided that there must be something important about this nest that speaks to me in some way, and this important reason might evolve over the 5 years I will spend here.

I began to wonder why the hospital would have such a large bird’s nest suspended above the courtyard near the women’s hospital. And more importantly, I wondered why the bird’s nest was so captivating to me. I did a little research and learned that a bird’s nest – especially one with eggs in it – is a symbol of hope and love. That seems like an important symbol to have for any hospital, especially a women’s hospital It also seems like an important symbol for my life and perhaps it is the reason I am so drawn to it. I feel like all I have right now is hope – and maybe intuitively I knew that about this nest.

Apparently in Chinese culture, a bird’s nest is admired for the way in which it is built piece by piece, from nothing, into something strong and protective. How appropriate this is for my life right now. It’s been 2 months since I started my life over in this new city and I guess I am starting to accumulate some twigs and branches. Hopefully I can fit them together and construct them in an appropriate way. Maybe, as time goes on, I will eventually construct something strong out of everything that happens here.

In the meantime, I will continue to stare at the nest that hangs in the courtyard of my hospital.