The last time I saw a hummingbird, I was at lunch with a couple of friends. I was mid-sentence in one of those meandering, life-stage conversations, the kind that bounces from kids to careers to: What are you watching on Netflix? … when a quick flutter in our peripheral vision stopped all three of us.
Hovering just inches from the planter outside our window was this tiny, iridescent blur, a flash of green suspended in the air like it was holding its breath right along with us.
People don’t react to hummingbirds the way they do other creatures like the bumblebee or even a butterfly.
They’re uncommon enough that you don’t just glance and move on.
Tiny. Lightning fast. Fleeting. Gone in the blink of an eye. They’re improbable. Here and gone.
And all the more fascinating for it.
What are they even up to? And what’s the rush? They’re pollinators, of course.
Helping flowers reproduce and ecosystems flourish.
It seems so frantic and random, but the thing about hummingbirds…everything they do fits into a highly coordinated system of intention, energy and progress.
Frantic flight path? Not quite.
It’s called traplining. A precise, repeatable route they map in their minds to maximize nourishment.
Rushing about? Hardly.
They operate on razor-thin margins. Their metabolism burns so fast they have to make deliberate choices about where to spend energy and where to refuel. Nothing wasted. Nothing casual.
All that darting around? They’d call it agility.
Hovering in place, shifting directions mid-air, even flying backward when the moment calls for it. Perfectly tuned to opportunity. Nimble in a way almost nothing else in nature is.
Anything but random.
Hummingbirds belong to a complex, interdependent system that keeps the world alive. And so do we.
I’ve been surrounded by hummingbirds lately.
If pollen were insights, every one of them was flying around like a tiny Yoda.
I’m fortunate to know extraordinary people across every corner of my life. The friend I met at the gym, who turns out to be a kindred spirit. The client who teaches me as much as I teach them (likely more). The colleague who asks for my help and ends up asking the question that shifts everything.
The gift of someone’s time and attention.
The friend who reaches out from the other side of the world to offer insights into our new podcast.
My husband coaching me through a conflict with the gentle nudge: Just because I’m right doesn’t mean I need to announce it.
The collaborators who took the idea and started building something with it (all while I was still swimming in it).
The passing comment from a dinner conversation two weeks ago that still has me thinking.
All of it.
It’s remarkable how much growth is hiding inside ordinary conversations. How much direction can come from a passing comment. How much wisdom can land in the space between sentences.
Connection is its own kind of ecosystem-quiet, constant, and wildly generative.
We’re surrounded by hummingbirds. The trick is noticing before it pivots and passes you by.
And in case this has you wondering what insights might be zipping through your life unnoticed… Don’t sweat it.
These things have a way of circling back.
Keep an eye out for hummingbirds. They’re all around you.
New to One Thing Thursdays?
Each week, I share something I’m learning, living, or working out in real time. It’s part storytelling, part reflection. I hope there’s something in it for you too.
Get it straight to your inbox every Thursday! Subscribe to our newsletter
Mary
P.S. We help visionary leaders and organizations achieve more impact through purpose, engagement and storytelling. When you’re ready, here’s how we can help:
- Build the story of your impact through Envision OnPrpose™
- Energize your people’s potential from the inside out with Engage OnPrpose™
- Amplify your industry voice through Influence OnPrpose™
- Develop purpose-driven leaders and storytellers with Influential Leaders Circle™