I'm Not Lost...I'm Bird Watching

I wonder where that expression:  "For the Birds" ever got started? It seems to imply it's just left overs and not the choice food or activity.  The birds around my house are not just getting scraps and slim pickings.  Only the best for my little featherd friends.  My son made the comment once..."Gee the birds eat better than we do!" Yup, it's a hobby of mine: I'm a Bird watcher. 

When I was a younger woman, I did not understand the interest in Bird Watching....now I do. There is a certain serenity in the watching, identifying and photography of birds.  The older I get, I am fullfilling a stereotype that "older" people bird watch.  I guess it is a sterotype for a reason; as a retired person I have more time to enjoy watching, listening to and snapping a few photos for my "Birder's book."  Perhpas when I was younger I was involved with other things and did not feel compelled to use precious free time looking at birds.  Yet, when one is trying to reduce stress, the opportunity to relax and view the flight of an Eagle soaring high or listen to the song of a Chickadee...well it is time well spent.

Rose-breasted grosbeak

I remember my Mom was very good at bird identification and several gifts my sister and I gave to her were bird related.  I know my sister gave her several feeders. I had given her a beautiful throw festooned with several colorful birds.  After she passed, I now have that beautiful throw to warm me on chilly evenings. Once for a birthday gift, she gave me the most fantastic "Birder's Bible": The Peterson Field Guide to the Birds.  She showed me how to use the book to idenify species and also how their coloration depends on the season. It has become a great tool for birding and I frequently think of Mom when referencing it.

Magpie in Anchorage, Alaska

The beauty of Bird Watching is that is doesn't take fancy equipment or alot of money to partake in the hobby. Just looking around your environment can bring a multitude of sightings; and not just in your own backyard.  When travelling, it  is such a treat to see birds you don't normally see at home.  When my husband and I were at Glacier National Park we saw a Stellar Jay, cousin to the Blue Jay, but a vivid and unique color of blue.  Also, when visiting my family in Alaska I always see Magpies and try to capture them in a photo.  They are kind of "bullies" in bird world, but they have the most beautiful plummage.

I saw a video the other day that made a great comparison between Pokemon and Birding. Remember Pokemon? My sons were crazy about them. The Pokemon creatures' images were depicted on cards for gameing.  The cards were collected, traded and played with. Also the Pokemon phenomina spread to almost every kind of merchandising you could imagine including a tv series, clothing, waterbottles and lunch boxes. Just about every elementary school teacher had to deal with that craze. I remember the tag line was: Gotta catch em all!  So you gotta catch them all, bird species that is. It has been said that Birding is just Pokemon for adults. There are so many varied and unique types of birds in this world that one will likely never "catch them all", but the quest is sure fun! Keep your binoculars and camera ready!  

                                                                           Julie Etta Smith

“A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” — Maya Angelou.

The Link between Art & Madness

Vincent van Gogh,1889

Creative people have frequently been considered "different" from the norm of the general population. In more specific terms, the artistic temperment frequently manifests itself with manic-depressive  symptoms.  Modern psychiatry has taught us that when we look at the life stories of the truly creative writers, painters and musicians, many have exhibited strong indications of manic-depression or more recently referred to as Bipolar disorder. It piqued my curiousity to find out that there is a rather extensive list of many artists throughout history who have suffered from some type of mood disorder.  A partial list contains:  Vincent van Gough, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, Virginia Woolf, Lord Bryon, Mozart and Hemmingway. Just to name a few...These are some of the most recognizable.  The definition of the illness has changed over the decades, but it can be determined that these artists were most likely Bipolar by the exhibited behaviors and symptoms that were recorded.

Thoughts about this topic recently came to me after reading this intriquing book: 

Touched with Fire: Manic -Drepressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. by Kay Redfield Jamison. It's not a new idea, there has been a correlation between artistic temperment and mani-depressive states for as long as the two have existed.  Yet, this book takes the time and research to actually establish the correlation.  It presents in-depth reasearch on the lives of several famous writers and authors.  Granted, some of the book is dry and "technical" but she does a wonderful job of supporting her thesis and backing it up with facts and figures, not just suppositions.

One quote from the book, that highlights the link bewtween art and "mental distress", also points to the dilemmna of a hesitancy to pursue treatment for fear of quelching the flames of creativity. Jamison states: "Many artists and writers believe that turmoil, sufferring and extremes in emotional experience are integral not only to the human condition but to their abilities as artists.  They fear that psychiatric treatment will transform them into normal, well adjusted, dampened, and bloodless souls--unable, or unmotivated to write, paint or compose.  These fears have greatly intensified as a result of the availability of a wide range of highly effective mood-stabilizing medications."

Edvard Munch- The Scream, 1893

I know all too well about that fear of loss of creativity and the feeling of "flat" emotions from the use of "mood stabilizing" medications. I went thru a whole bevy of meds when initially diagnosed with Bipolar disorder over 20 years ago. I remember that "flat" feeling and just going through the motions of my day. I was so glad to be connecting with reality, but I just didn't feel like myself.

So when I started Lithium to help my symptoms, it became evident to me that this particular drug could help me without feeling like a "bloodless soul".  Lithium is the most commonly prescribed medication for Bipolar and generally the most effective. Nevertheless, for some people it becomes a tradeoff and a difficult choice to make: sometimes the creative process is enhanced by manic episodes. Prescription remedies seem to botch (in the patient's opinion) their "humaness" and creativity. Yet, the alternative of experiencing continued manic episodes and low depressive episodes takes it's toll on the human body. 

Bipolar illness not only worsens over time, it becomes less responsive to medication over time.  Episodes and hospitalizations can increase and sadly, when left untreated, can result in suicide.

While  I don't put myself in the same category as some of these great writers who have suffered for their art, I find some comfort in the fact that as a patient diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, perhaps there is something inside me that is actually creative, not just "crazy".  I don't have the enormous talent of Virginia Wolf, Hemmingway or Poe, yet I have indeed suffered for my art. Not just my art, but also the desire to have a so-called "normal" and happy life.

Once I finally accepted my diagnosis of Bipolar and  determined the proper medication, then things were smoother sailing. Studies have shown that people on lithuim experience few side effects of any kind and less than one third report any significant negative changes in intellectual functioning and reasoning. The creativity was still there, but when going down pathways to find my creative yearnings, I walked down a well lit path, instead of stumbling in the darkness. Perhaps some of my creativity had changed and even stifled, but I was still able to function and not detached from reality.  Hemmingway said it right: "There is nothing to Writing, all you do is sit down at a typewriter and Bleed." So true.  But I would add: just make sure you have the Band-Aids handy.       Julie Etta Smith