Lessons from a Birdbrain Summer, Ohio is the first in the series and was born with the idea to combine birdwatching and mindfulness lessons. My hope is that readers will encounter a concept they may have heard before but it will resonate differently. The saying “when the student is ready, the teacher appears” is powerful, and I hope that outcome will be encouraged by this book.
Birdwatching and bird photography as a hobby is enjoyable and rewarding. And yet at first, I found it overwhelming. I knew so little about birds beyond the sparrows and cardinals that eat at my feeder. The material I found online and the birders I met were knowledgeable, but I wanted more information about the species that I could find in this region. So, I started out writing this book as a beginner’s guide to some of the birds you would commonly see in Ohio.
I have also been studying mindfulness and the pursuit of serenity. For me, there are direct connections between birdwatching and mindfulness. When I am outdoors with my binoculars and my camera, I have quiet time to slow down and be present to enjoy the amazing natural world. Plus, those activities give me the opportunity in the background to work through a challenge or troublesome situation while I take a break from my normal breakneck pace.
